Primary malignant melanoma of the oesophagus.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J D Biggart.
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Between 1954 and 1988 only a total of twenty five cases of primary adenocarcinoma of the small bowel (excluding periampillary tumours) were recorded at the Department of Histopathology, Belfast City Hospital. Of these, 14 tumours were located in the jejunum: the remainder arose in the ileum. The average age at presentation was 61.3 years and a slight female to male preponderance of 1:7:1 was noted. The adenocarcinoma arose from a preexisting villous adenoma in six cases. The overall prognosis was poor, with a five year survival of 15.7%. All the survivors had tumours located in the jejunum. The single most important prognostic indicator was the depth of tumour invasion or stage at the time of diagnosis. Tumour size and grade did not seem to correlate well with survival. It is concluded that the rarity of these tumours and their inaccessibility hinder detection and treatment and that surgical resection is more effective than chemotherapy.
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Semi-automatic image analysis was used to assess the architectural features of normal colorectal mucosa and ulcerative colitis with and without dysplasia. Eight measured and derived morphometric variables were compared with the histological grading. The main data-set variation was due to: (1) the area of mucosa and epithelium per unit length of muscularis mucosae; (2) mean mucosal and epithelial height; and (3) the percentage epithelium and number of crypts per unit length of muscularis mucosae. Discriminant analysis using the variables mean epithelial height and mean lamina propria area per unit length of muscularis mucosae separated normals (n = 10) from high-grade dysplasia (8). The classification rule allocated low-grade dysplasia (8) to the high-grade category and 60% of regeneration cases (10) to the normal mucosa group. Scatter plots of the two discriminating variables separated normal and regenerative mucosa from dysplasia. Histological review of overlapping cases allowed redesignation of a high-grade dysplasia lesion as low grade. Architectural morphometry may be of use in assessing premalignant mucosal changes in ulcerative colitis as a guide to patient surveillance and therapy.
The presence of mucosal hyperplasia and sialomucin goblet cell secretion (transitional mucosa) was assessed in various benign, premalignant and malignant colorectal tissues. Transitional mucosa was seen in diverticular disease, solitary ulcer syndrome of the rectum, ischaemic and irradiation colitis and other diseases including pneumatosis coli, endometriosis, haemorrhoids and a colostomy margin. Adenocarcinomas had a sulphomucin or mixed secretion pattern with transitional features in the adjacent mucosa mucosa (18/27). Premalignant adenomatous polyps showed mixed secretion with transitional glands incorporated in the stalk and sometimes in the adjacent mucosa. Epithelium showing dysplasia secreted sulphomucins and in amounts related to its degree of differentiation. Transitional mucosa may not be a primary premalignant phenomemon. The conclusion and unifying concept is that it is a secondary event related to goblet cell immaturity. This can occur, secondary to proliferation in mucosal inflammation, ischaemia and prolapse or as a phenotypic expression of growth derived from underlying dysplastic epithelium.
Mucin secretion was assessed in Crohn's colitis, in ulcerative colitis with regeneration, dysplasia and carcinoma and in non-colitic adenocarcinoma. The high iron diamine-alcian blue (HID-AB) and periodate borohydride-saponification periodic acid Schiff (PB-KOH-PAS) techniques were used to demonstrate sulphomucins and sialomucins, and O-acylated sialomucins respectively. There was mucosal hyperplasia and increased sialomucin secretion in Crohn's disease, quiescent and active ulcerative colitis. In colitis with carcinoma inflamed mucosa away from the tumour had increased sialomucins as had colitis with dysplasia. They did not differ statistically from each other or from colitic controls without cancer. Dysplastic crypts frequently secreted sulphomucins and the increased sialomucins were in transitional-like glands in the surface fronds or adjacent to the dysplasia. A comparative study of the HID-AB technique gave total correct qualitative allocation of individual quantitatively assessed crypts. Routine HID-AB staining did not aid the recognition of dysplasia in ulcerative colitis. With the PB-KOH-PAS technique colorectal adenocarcinoma showed a significant diminution in O-acylated sialomucins compared with its adjacent mucosa. Mucosal dysplasia in ulcerative colitis displayed a similar trend in O-acylated sialic acid variants, differing with respect to age-and sex-matched colitic controls. The PB-KOH-PAS technique may be of help in assessing mucin secretion in ulcerative colitis as a guide to the evolution of malignancy.
Semi-automatic image analysis was used to make a morphometrical assessment of 15 nuclear and cellular variables in normal (n = 20) and malignant (n = 30) colorectal epithelium. Principal components analysis on the matrix of correlations between variables identified four main sources of variation within the dataset. These were, in decreasing order of importance: (1) nuclear size, nuclear cytoplasmic ratio and nuclear position within the cell; (2) the variability of nuclear size; (3) nuclear elongation and polarity; (4) nuclear shape and its variation. Discriminant analysis was conducted between histologically normal mucosa (n = 10) and adenocarcinoma in ulcerative colitis (n = 20). Using stepwise variable selection, the mean nuclear cytoplasmic ratio (normal, mean 20.4 (s.d. +/- 2.0); tumour, mean 39.7 (s.d. +/- 7.0)) and the coefficient of variation of nucleus to cell apex distance (normal, mean 19.2 (s.d. +/- 7.5); tumour, mean 47.8 (s.d. +/- 9.1)) were chosen as discriminating features. They were used to derive a discriminant function which gave perfect discrimination between the two groups. Scatter plots of these two variables confirmed complete separation of normal mucosa from adenocarcinoma and provided a simple method of applying the discriminant function. Discriminatory performance did not deteriorate when the function was applied to further normals (n = 10) and adenocarcinoma (n = 10). This study highlights the descriptive differences between normal and malignant colorectal epithelium and shows that case allocation may be made to these two lesion categories using a morphometrically-derived classification rule.
Semi-automatic image analysis was used to assess the epithelium in ulcerative colitis with dysplasia and carcinoma. There were three main sources of variation within the dataset: (1) nuclear size, nuclear cytoplasmic ratio and nuclear stratification; (2) the variation of nuclear size; and (3) nuclear shape and polarity. Discriminant analysis chose the mean nuclear cytoplasmic ratio % and the coefficient of variation of nucleus to cell apex distance to derive a scoring system which completely separated normal mucosa (n = 20) and carcinoma (n = 30). The classification rule allocated all high grade dysplasia to the tumour category. Scores for regeneration and low grade dysplasia overlapped with each other and the normal and tumour groups. Scatter plots of the two discriminating variables showed good separation of regeneration and high grade dysplasia, and a degree of overlap with low grade dysplasia. The scatter plots allowed identification of overlapping and misallocated cases, requiring review of their histology and redesignation of the diagnosis in five cases. This study confirms quantitatively the visual criteria used in grading mucosal changes and their trend from regeneration through dysplasia to carcinoma. It underlines the necessity of assessing not only cytological but also architectural and inflammatory components when diagnosing regeneration and low grade dysplasia. Mucosal morphometry may be of use in confirming high grade dysplasia which is an indication for colectomy.
Two monoclonal antibodies were applied to benign, dysplastic, and malignant human colorectal tissues using immunohistochemical techniques on formalin fixed paraffin embedded material. RAP-5 antibody is directed against a synthetic peptide, reflecting an amino acid sequence of the ras oncogene p21 protein product. Despite using several different techniques and antibody dilutions differential staining between the various epithelial populations was not obtained. RAP-5 also showed other tissue components such as plasma cells, histiocytes, fibroblasts, smooth muscle and vascular endothelium. CA19-9 antibody recognizes an epithelial surface carbohydrate antigen originally derived from a human colorectal carcinoma cell line: it did not stain normal colorectal mucosa or adenomatous polyps, but showed focal expression of variable strength in regenerative, dysplastic, and cancerous mucosa in ulcerative colitis, and in non-colitic colorectal carcinoma. Neither antibody was found to be a reliable marker of the evolution of malignant mucosal changes, although CA19-9 may be of limited use in confirming adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal origin.
The presence of misplaced mucosal epithelium was studied in the colectomy specimens from 30 patients with Crohn's disease, 30 patients with ulcerative colitis, 15 patients with ulcerative colitis complicated by carcinoma and 30 patients with non-colitic colorectal carcinoma. Misplaced epithelium was present in 21 (70%) of the resection specimens with Crohn's disease, 20 (66.7%) with ulcerative colitis and 12 (80%) with ulcerative colitis complicated by carcinoma. None of the specimens with non-colitic colorectal adenocarcinoma showed misplaced foci of epithelium. Two pathogenetic mechanisms for epithelial misplacement are proposed: (1) the effects of mucosal inflammation and repair; and (2) muscular abnormalities in inflammatory bowel disease. The proposed mechanisms and patterns of epithelial misplacement are discussed and illustrated. The importance of its recognition is emphasized because, when associated with mucosal dysplasia, difficulties in interpretation arise in distinguishing it from 'early' invasive adenocarcinoma. Epithelial misplacement is common in patients with longstanding ulcerative colitis and may be a factor in increasing the significance of pre-existing mucosal dysplasia and promoting the development of adenocarcinoma. This may explain the unusual growth pattern encountered in ulcerative colitis, of submucosal cancer underlying a flat, non-dysplastic mucosa.
An immunoperoxidase technique was applied to formalin and Helly fixed paraffin wax sections from cases of ulcerative colitis complicated by dysplasia and carcinoma for carcinoembryonic antigen and components of the colonic secretory immunoglobulin system--namely, secretory component, IgA, and J chain. Sections from both resection specimens and mucosal biopsies were available. Intensity of immunostaining was assessed qualitatively. There was appreciable variation in expression of carcinoembryonic antigen and secretory component antigens. Carcinoembryonic antigen stained heavily in dysplasia and carcinoma while these tissues showed only focal light staining for secretory component. Normal tissue stained heavily for secretory component. The variation in staining intensity for both carcinoembryonic antigen and secretory component in inflamed and regenerative mucosa precluded their use as a reliable diagnostic aid in discriminating these tissues from true dysplasia. Loss of secretory component production or transport or both may be incurred during malignant change, but it should not be assessed as an isolated index of epithelial maturity. The relation with mucosal plasma cells warrants further study to determine more fully the factors affecting tissue secretory component expression.
The clinicopathological details of eight cases of ulcerative colitis complicated by carcinoma of the colon are described. There was a total of 14 primary colonic cancers, six of which were not detected before pathological examination of the resection specimens. The reason for this may be related to atypical tumour growth patterns. Three occurred in flat mucosa, one in a mucosal plaque lesion, and another in polypoidal mucosa. The occurrence, distribution, and morphology of mucosal dysplasia were noted in both resection specimens and biopsies taken at varying stages before resection. Tumour was associated with normal and adjacent dysplastic mucosa of varying grades. The extent and grade of dysplasia were not reliable indicators of tumour differentiation or subsequent clinical outcome. Only two cancers were poorly differentiated. In five cases a total of 23 mucosal biopsies were taken, all less than 12 months before resection. Three rectal biopsies were graded positive for dysplasia and three colonic biopsies indefinite for dysplasia. The subsequent resection specimens showed both dysplastic and carcinomatous changes. Three rectal and 14 colonic biopsies were graded negative for dysplasia despite positive findings in the subsequent resection specimens. This anomaly is partly attributed to the patchy nature of dysplasia in colitic mucosa. Two cases illustrate the possibility of dysplasia pursuing a rapidly progressive course. The mucosal changes of ulcerative colitis were assessed using a recently introduced and standardised international classification.
An unusual case of bilateral chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis of the clavicles is reported. A culture of resistant Staphylococcus aureus was obtained. Curettage of the lesions resulted in healing and symptomatic relief. There has been no recurrence on follow-up at one year.
In a twenty-year period 19 appendicectomy specimens were diagnosed as primary Crohn's disease. This represents 4.9% of the total number of both resection specimens and mucosal biopsies diagnosed as Crohn's disease during that time. This is a review of the main histopathological features found in these appendices and their subsequent clinical outcome. The predominant feature is transmural inflammation characterised by fibrosis and giant cell epithelioid granulomata. An accompanying spectrum of acute inflammatory changes is also seen. One patient progressed to more widespread ileal and caecal disease 17 months later. One patient developed perianal fistulae and chronic non-specific proctitis 24 months later. This represents a proven recurrence of one case in a study population of 19. The conclusion is that primary Crohn's disease of the appendix is usually an isolated phenomenon but rarely it may forewarn of more widespread bowel disease in the future. A discussion regarding the differential diagnosis of granulomatous appendiceal lesions is included.
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Fifty-one cases of solitary rectal ulcer syndrome diagnosed over the past 10 years have been studied. The syndrome, of which solitary ulceration was a feature in only 35 per cent of cases, included patients with multiple 'solitary' ulcers (22 per cent), broad-based polypoid lesions (25 per cent) and patchy granular hyperaemic rectal mucosa (18 per cent). The syndrome was found to be strongly associated with abnormal rectal descent. Full-thickness prolapse to or beyond the anal verge was present in 59 per cent of patients while a further 32 per cent had lesser degrees of rectal descent. In only 9 per cent was no such abnormality demonstrated. Treatment with high roughage diet supplemented with bulking agents benefited two-thirds of 27 patients so treated. Ivalon sponge rectopexy has been performed in 6 patients with associated complete rectal prolapse, and in the first 3 of these (followed for a sufficient period) the results have been satisfactory.
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