Hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome: a zebra or a horse dressed in pinstripes.
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Publications and source records attributed to S R Hamilton.
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Sodium polystyrene sulfonate (Kayexalate) in sorbitol given as an enema or orally to treat hyperkalemia has been reported to induce intestinal necrosis in uremic patients. We studied the clinical and pathologic features of 15 patients in whom Kayexalate crystals were observed in specimens from gastrointestinal surgical resections (n = 9) or endoscopic biopsies (n = 7). Oral or nasogastric tube administration of Kayexalate in sorbitol was documented in 10 patients. Among 12 patients with colorectal specimens, necrosis was observed in nine patients (75%), represented by seven of eight surgical resection specimens and three of five endoscopic biopsy specimens. No other cause of colorectal necrosis apart from Kayexalate in sorbitol was apparent in seven patients, and four also had necrosis of the small intestine. Four patients with colonic necrosis in their initial resection specimen developed progressive necrosis of the small intestine or rectum, and five patients (56%) had fatal outcome within 1 day to 6 weeks. Kayexalate crystals were observed in upper gastrointestinal tract specimens from four patients, including one with hemorrhagic gastritis. Our findings provide additional evidence that Kayexalate in sorbitol administered orally or by nasogastric tube can produce necrosis in the gastrointestinal tract.
BACKGROUND: Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is caused by germline mutation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene on chromosome 5q. AIMS: This study assessed genotype-phenotype correlations for extraintestinal lesions in FAP. METHODS: Mutations of the APC gene were compared with the occurrence of seven extraintestinal manifestations in 475 FAP patients from 51 families. The frequency of manifestations was adjusted for different ages of patients using person years of exposure. In pedigrees without identified APC gene mutation, analysis of linkage to chromosome 5q and/or assessment of neoplasms for replication errors characteristic of mutation in mismatch repair genes were performed. RESULTS: FAP patients from the 42 families (82%) with identified mutations of the APC gene had more frequent expression of extraintestinal manifestations than affected individuals without identified mutations (risk ratio 1.2-4.0; significant difference for cutaneous cysts). The presence of a cutaneous cyst or extraintestinal cancer significantly increased the likelihood of detection of a mutation in the APC gene (94% and 92% respectively; p < 0.05). In patients without identified APC gene mutation, linkage to the APC gene was found in one large family (lod = 5.1, theta 0.01), and replication error phenotype was absent in all 24 neoplasms from 16 members of these nine pedigrees. Expression of pigmented ocular fundus lesions was strongly associated with mutations in codons 541-1309, but no other extraintestinal manifestations were related to mutation position. Multiplicity of extraintestinal manifestations was high with mutation in codons 1465, 1546, and 2621. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with the colorectal phenotype of FAP but no extraintestinal manifestations may have non-truncating mutations of the APC gene or mutation in a gene other than APC or mismatch repair genes. The site of APC gene mutation is associated with pigmented ocular fundus lesions (codons 542-1309) and predisposition to multiplicity of extraintestinal manifestations (codons 1465, 1546, and 2621).
BACKGROUND: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a rare, autosomal dominant, polyposis syndrome, associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal and extragastrointestinal malignancy. Occasionally dysplasia occurs in PJS polyps. AIMS: In colorectal carcinomas, mutations in codon 12 of the K-ras oncogene are common and are found at similar frequency in precursor adenomas. Therefore, K-ras codon 12 point mutations in PJS polyps, were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty two PJS polyps, including four with dysplasia, collected from 19 patients with PJS, were analysed for mutations in the K-ras codon 12 by a mutant enriched polymerase chain reaction procedure, followed by allele specific oligodeoxynucleotide hybridisation. RESULTS: A K-ras codon 12 mutation was identified, in one colonic polyp with dysplasia. The mutation was found in the non-neoplasmic epithelial cells and not in the dysplastic component of the polyp. CONCLUSIONS: K-ras codon 12 point mutations are very rare in PJS polyps, by contrast with colorectal adenomas. The findings support previous evidence that there seems to be no intrinsic relation between K-ras codon 12 mutation and dysplasia.
Expression of the primary enzyme catalyzing the synthesis of fatty acids, ie, fatty acid synthase (FAS), and ex vivo fatty acid synthetic activity were examined in colorectal epithelium and neoplasms, including the relationship to tumor progression and prognosis. Immunohistochemistry for FAS showed only faint staining of native colorectal mucosa, but increased expression was found in all sporadic adenomas (n = 18), adenomas associated with familial adenomatous polyposis (n = 7), hyperplastic polyps (n = 3), dysplasias arising in ulcerative colitis (n = 17), and colorectal carcinomas (n = 130) including 11 with contiguous adenomas. The intensity of staining was strong in 53% of carcinomas, intermediate in 38%, and weak in 9%. Activity of the fatty acid synthetic pathway measured by labeling of six surgical specimens with [U-14C]acetate was 2- to 7-fold higher in colorectal carcinomas than adjacent native mucosa (P = 0.006) and 6- to 16-fold higher than serosal fat (P = 0.01). Activity correlated with immunohistochemical expression (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient = 0.85; P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant association between patient survival and FAS staining intensity of carcinomas. Our study shows that FAS is expressed in all colorectal neoplasms and there is a concomitant increase in fatty acid synthesis. FAS may therefore represent a potential therapeutic target.
Juvenile polyps are regarded as hamartomatous polyps and occur in sporadic and familial syndromic settings. There is increased risk of gastrointestinal neoplasia in patients with juvenile polyposis syndrome, but the molecular mechanisms are not known. We therefore studied 78 colorectal juvenile polyposis from 12 patients with juvenile polyps syndrome and 34 sporadic juvenile polyps for epithelial dysplasia and genetic changes associated with colorectal neoplasia. Dysplasia occurred in 31% of syndromic juvenile polyps but not in sporadic juvenile polyps (P < 0.0001). Topographic control of proliferation and expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(WAFI/CIP1) seen in native colorectal epithelium was lost in 79% of dysplastic juvenile polyps and in 8% of nondysplastic juvenile polyps (P < 0.000001). Somatic mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene were demonstrated in 50% of dysplastic juvenile polyps (3 of 6) but not in any of 16 juvenile polyps without dysplasia (P = 0.01). Both sporadic and syndromic juvenile polyps had K-ras mutations (14%) and there was no relationship to dysplasia. p53 gene product overexpression identified by immunohistochemical staining occurred rarely in dysplastic juvenile polyps (2 of 24, 8%). Our results indicate that the multiple genetic alterations involved in usual colorectal neoplasia also play a role in neoplastic transformation of juvenile polyps, predominantly in juvenile polyposis syndrome.
Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer is caused by inherited mutations of mismatch repair genes. We developed monoclonal antibodies to the prototype human mismatch repair gene hMSH2 and used them to detect an immunoreactive protein of M(r) 100,000 in mismatch-proficient cell lines. In addition, a M(r) 150,000 protein coimmunoprecipitated with the hMSH2 gene product in cell lines expressing hMSH2. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the hMSH2 protein was exclusively nuclear. Whereas the hMSH2 protein was expressed in a variety of tissues, the most striking pattern was observed in esophageal and intestinal epithelia, where expression was limited to the replicating compartment. Neoplastic cells within benign and malignant mismatch repair-proficient tumors expressed the protein, but no hMSH2 immunoreactivity was observed in the colorectal tumors of patients with germline hMSH2 mutation. These results have implications for tumorigenic mechanisms and, potentially, for diagnosis.
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for intranuclear p53 gene product is a simple, routine alternative to molecular genetic analysis of the p53 gene. Several methods for antigen enhancement are currently in use for IHC. This study evaluates the effect of extreme antigen enhancement for p53, using a monoclonal antibody (DO7) and a polyclonal antibody (CM1). The cases studied were five colorectal carcinomas, two specimens of normal colorectal mucosa, and four colorectal carcinomas with genetic alterations which are expected to preclude p53 gene product expression, namely mutation to a STOP codon in the p53 gene detected by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis with subsequent sequencing and allelic loss of 17p in the region where p53 is located, detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The findings suggest that extreme antigen enhancement may cause false-positive results with a distinct nuclear staining pattern when MAb DO7 is used as a primary antibody. It is concluded that all antigen enhancement methods should be thoroughly tested to evaluate their validity and that there may be a limit to the extent to which antigen enhancement can be applied in IHC for p53 protein.
The WAF1 (CIP1/SDI1) gene encodes a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor which is induced by wild-type, but not mutated, p53 gene product. WAF1 immunohistochemistry has been suggested to clarify the phenotype of overexpressed p53 gene product. We evaluated both p53 and WAF1 gene products by immunohistochemistry in 98 esophagectomy specimens with Barrett esophagus and/or adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction. Diffuse positive p53 staining was found in 40 of 88 adenocarcinomas (45%) and in dysplastic Barrett epithelium in 20 of 65 cases (31%), but not in Barrett mucosa without dysplasia (n = 36, P = .0004). Eighty-eight percent of cancers exhibited WAF1 expression, but there was no association with p53 and WAF1 staining. WAF1 protein was also identified in Barrett epithelium and in esophageal squamous and gastric epithelium. In contrast to carcinomas, a unique pattern of mutually exclusive p53 and WAF1 expression was found in five cases of dysplastic Barrett epithelium; a missense mutation at codon 175 of p53 was identified in one. p53 staining of adenocarcinoma was associated with shorter patient survival but was not independent of stage; WAF1 status added no prognostic information. Our findings show that WAF1 immunohistochemistry complements p53 immunohistochemistry in some cases of Barrett dysplasia but not in adenocarcinomas. Positive p53 immunostaining can serve to confirm a neoplastic process in Barrett mucosa. Positive staining of adenocarcinomas may be an indication of advanced stage.
Inactivation of the p53 tumour-suppressor gene is common in a wide variety of human neoplasms. In the majority of cases, single point mutations in the protein-encoding sequence of p53 lead to positive immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the p53 protein, and are accompanied by loss of the wild-type allele. Recently, the WAF1/Cip1 gene was identified as one of the genes induced by wild-type p53, and increased expression of p21WAF1/Cip1 has been found to reflect the status of the p53 tumour-suppressor pathway. We investigated the inactivation of p53 in a relatively small, but well-characterised, group of 46 colorectal carcinomas that were previously studied for allelic alterations, ras oncogene mutations and DNA aneuploidy. Alterations in p53 were identified by IHC, loss of 17p and DNA sequence analysis of exons 5-8, whereas p21WAF1/Cip1 protein expression was determined by IHC. p53 mutations were identified in 19 of the 46 tumours (41%), whereas positive IHC for p53 was found in 21 of the 46 tumours (46%). Positive IHC for p21WAF1/Cip1 was detected in 16 of 42 cases (38%). We found no relationship between p21WAF1/Cip1 staining and p53 protein expression or p53 mutational status. Inactivating mutations in the p53 gene correlated with LOH at 17p but not with LOH at 5q or 18q, Dukes' stage, tumour grade or DNA ploidy. There was a higher survival rate independent of Dukes' stage in the group with no alterations in p53 compared with those with evidence of dysfunction of p53, but the difference was not statistically significant. We conclude that inactivation of p53 and altered expression of p21WAF1/Cip1 are common in colorectal carcinoma but do not correlate with each other or with the clinical or pathological parameters investigated.
Chromosome deletions are the most common genetic events observed in cancer. These deletions are generally thought to reflect the existence of a tumour suppressor gene within the lost region. However, when the lost region does not precisely coincide with a hereditary cancer locus, identification of the putative tumour suppressor gene (target of the deletion) can be problematic. For example, previous studies have demonstrated that chromosome 18q is lost in over 60% of colorectal as well as in other cancers, but the lost region could not be precisely determined. Here we present a rigorous strategy for mapping and evaluating allelic deletions in sporadic tumours, and apply it to the evaluation of chromosome 18 in colorectal cancers. Using this approach, we define a minimally lost region (MLR) on chromosome 18q21, which contains at least two candidate tumour suppressor genes, DPC4 and DCC. The analysis further suggested genetic heterogeneity, with DPC4 the deletion target in up to a third of the cases and DCC or a neighbouring gene the target in the remaining tumours.
Resistance to the growth inhibitory effects of TGF-beta is common in human cancers. However, the mechanism(s) by which tumour cells become resistant to TGF-beta are generally unknown. We have identified five novel human genes related to a Drosophila gene called Mad which is thought to transduce signals from TGF-beta family members. One of these genes was found to be somatically mutated in two of eighteen colorectal cancers, and three of the other genes were located at chromosomal positions previously suspected to harbor tumour suppressor genes. These data suggest that this gene family may prove to be important in the suppression of neoplasia, imparting the growth inhibitory effects of TGF-beta-like ligands.
Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the early onset of colorectal cancer and linked to germline defects in at least four mismatch repair genes. Although much has been learned about the molecular pathogenesis of this disease, questions related to effective presymptomatic diagnosis are largely unanswered because of its genetic complexity. In this study, we evaluated tumors from 74 HNPCC kindreds for genomic instability characteristic of a mismatch repair deficiency and found such instability in 92% of the kindreds. The entire coding regions of the five known human mismatch repair genes were evaluated in 48 kindreds with instability, and mutations were identified in 70%. This study demonstrates that a combination of techniques can be used to genetically diagnose tumor susceptibility in the majority of HNPCC kindreds and lays the foundation for genetic testing of this relatively common disease.
The Min mouse provides a genetically defined model for inherited and sporadic forms of human colorectal tumorigenesis. To test the suitability of this model for the evaluation and optimization of chemopreventive agents, we examined the effects of sulindac on tumorigenesis in Min mice as this compound can inhibit colorectal tumorigenesis in human familial adenomatous polyposis patients. Treatment of Min mice with sulindac in their drinking water (84 mg/l) or diet (167 and 334 p.p.m.) resulted in a significantly decreased average tumor load. The conservation of sulindac activity in the Min mouse provides an opportunity to explore the mechanism of sulindac suppression as well as to test other potential chemopreventive agents.
OBJECTIVE: The authors review the results and outcomes of esophagectomy (prophylactic esophagectomy) for patients with Barrett's esophagus and high-grade epithelial dysplasia (HGD). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The role of prophylactic esophagectomy for Barrett's esophagus with HGD is controversial, with some authors recommending surgery and others favoring endoscopic surveillance until biopsy diagnosis of carcinoma is made. METHODS: Between 1982 and 1994, 30 consecutive patients with HGD underwent esophagectomy and had the pre- and postoperative pathology reviewed at our institution. The medical records were reviewed to determine patient characteristics, preoperative endoscopic data, surgical approach, operative morbidity and mortality, length of hospitalization, and treatment outcome. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether invasive adenocarcinoma was found in the resection specimen (group 1) or not (group 2). RESULTS: The duration of reflux symptoms was 22 +/- 14 years for group 1 and 9 +/- 11 years for group 2 (p = 0.05). There was one operative death (3.3%) and six complications (20%). In 13 patients (43%, group 1), invasive adenocarcinoma was found in the resected esophagus. The American Joint Committee on Cancer stage for these patients was stage I (8 patients), stage II (2 patients), and stage III (3 patients). One stage I patient died of adenocarcinoma (72 months) in an incompletely excised HGD segment. Other stage I and II patients are alive without adenocarcinoma with an 18-and 63-month mean follow-up, respectively. Outcome for stage III patients was one operative death, one noncancer death (6 months), and one patient with metastatic adenocarcinoma (26 months). For group 2 (57%), there were no adenocarcinoma deaths (40 months). CONCLUSIONS: High-grade epithelial dysplasia is an indication for esophagectomy because of the prevalence of occult adenocarcinoma (43%). Esophagectomy can be performed safely, and survival in patients with completely resected Barrett's esophagus and early-stage adenocarcinoma is excellent.
BACKGROUND: Sulindac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, causes regression of colorectal adenomas in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) but the response is variable. Specific clinical factors predictive of sulindac induced regression have not been studied. METHODS: 22 patients with FAP were given sulindac 150 mg orally twice a day. Polyp number and size were determined before treatment and at three months. The relation of nine clinical factors to polyp regression (per cent of baseline polyp number after treatment) was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: After three months of sulindac, polyp number had decreased to 45 per cent of baseline and polyp size to 50 per cent of baseline (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Univariate analysis showed greater polyp regression in older patients (p = 0.004), those with previous colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis (p = 0.001), and patients without identifiable mutation of the APC gene responsible for FAP (p = 0.05). With multivariate regression analysis, response to sulindac treatment was associated with previous subtotal colectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Sulindac treatment seems effective in producing regression of colorectal adenomas of FAP patients with previous subtotal colectomy regardless of baseline polyp number and size. Changed sulindac metabolism, reduced area of the target mucosa, or changed epithelial characteristics after ileorectal anastomosis may explain these findings.
BACKGROUND: Hepatoblastoma is a rare, rapidly progressive, usually fatal childhood malignancy, which if confined to the liver can be cured by radical surgical resection. An association between hepatoblastoma and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), which is due to germline mutation of the APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) gene, has been confirmed, but correlation with site of APC mutation has not been studied. AIM: To analyse the APC mutational spectrum in FAP families with hepatoblastoma as a possible basis to select kindreds for surveillance. PATIENTS: Eight patients with hepatoblastoma in seven FAP kindreds were compared with 97 families with identified APC gene mutation in a large Registry. METHODS: APC gene mutation was evaluated by RNase protection assay or in vitro synthesis protein assay. The chi 2 test and correlation were used for data analysis. RESULTS: APC gene mutation was identified in all seven FAP kindreds in which an at risk member developed hepatoblastoma. A male predominance was noted (six of eight), similar to literature cases (18 of 25, p < 0.01. Mutations were restricted to codons 141 to 1230, but no significant difference in site of mutation between pedigrees with and without hepatoblastoma was identified. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatoblastoma occurs primarily in boys in FAP kindreds and is associated with germline APC mutation in the 5' end of the gene. However, the site of APC mutation cannot be used to predict occurrence of this extracolonic cancer in FAP pedigrees.
PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate the relative accuracy of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the staging of colorectal carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT and MR studies were independently interpreted in a group of 478 patients with colorectal carcinoma in a study conducted from 1989 to 1993. The accuracy of each modality was assessed in a subset of 365 patients with primary tumors with respect to staging of local extent of tumor, status of local-regional lymph nodes, and the presence of liver metastases. RESULTS: In the staging of local extent of tumor, CT is more accurate than MR imaging, particularly in the definition of penetration of the muscularis propria by rectal cancer (74% vs 58%). Accuracies of CT and MR imaging were equivalent in depiction of transmural extent in colon cancers. CT and MR imaging exhibited accuracies of 62% and 64% in assessment of lymph node involvement with sensitivities of 48% and 22%, respectively. The accuracy of MR imaging and of CT (85% for each) are better for evaluation of liver metastases; lower sensitivities (62% and 70%, respectively) than specificities (97% and 94%, respectively) were demonstrated for both modalities. CONCLUSION: CT was more accurate than MR imaging in detection and characterization of transmural penetration of rectal tumors. Recent technologic advances in MR imaging may affect these results.