BACKGROUND: The significance of intraoperative pleural lavage cytology (PLC) in lung cancer patients without malignant effusion remains undetermined in terms of staging, prognosis, and local management. METHODS: PLC was performed both after thoractomy and before closure of the thoracic cavity in 325 patients with lung cancer without malignant pleurisy. RESULTS: According to the PLC results (positive [+] or negative [-] after thoracotomy/before closure), the patients were classified as follows: group A (-/-), 262 patients; group B (+/-), 19; group C (-/+), 22; and group D (+/+), 22. In comparison with group A, group C showed more advanced stage with aggressive nodal involvement, and group D showed more advanced lung cancer related to pleural and nodal involvement, whereas group B showed characteristics similar to those of group A. The rate of pleural recurrence in group D was the highest (26%). In particular, pleural recurrence was seen in the patients with a relatively large number of adenocarcinoma cells in PLC after thoractomy. The patients in groups C and D, especially those with adenocarcinoma, showed poorer prognosis, but in a multivariate analysis, PLC status was not an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: PLC status after thoractomy provides useful information in the detection of high-risk subgroup for pleural recurrence. Although PLC status is closely associated with survival, its prognostic value is not independent.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Homologous complement activation on drug-induced apoptotic cells from a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line.

Activation of the alternative pathway of homologous complement (C) was observed in a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line, CADO 43, after the cells had become apoptotic following treatment in vitro with vincristine and predonisolone. Deposition of C3b and C3bi on the serum-treated apoptotic cells was revealed by flow cytometry with anti-C3b and -C3bi-specific antibodies and immunoblotting with anti-C3 antibody immunoprecipitates extracted from solubilized fractions of serum-treated apoptotic cells. Two molecular mechanisms were found to be responsible for this post-apoptotic C-activation. Firstly, all C regulators, decay accelerating factor (DAF), membrane cofactor protein (MCP) and C3b/C4b receptor (CR1), were diminished on the cell surface concomitantly with the apoptotic process. Secondly, unidentified molecules which potentially activate homologous C and accept C3b/C3bi fragments became expressed on the cell surface during the apoptotic process. These findings may explain the mechanism whereby tumor cells are efficiently eliminated through chemotherapy.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Usefulness of diagnostic criteria for aspiration cytology of hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To establish new criteria for cytodiagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by comparing cytologic findings of hepatocellular carcinoma with those of liver cirrhosis. STUDY DESIGN: Review of cytologic findings of hepatocellular carcinoma on preoperative aspiration biopsy of 31 lesions from 27 patients who underwent surgical resection and comparison of these findings with those of liver cirrhosis in 17 patients. RESULTS: In the 11 lesions of moderately and poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma, significant cytologic findings included monotonous and abundant cytoplasm, thick cytoplasm, increased nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, irregular nuclear contours, increased chromatin density, intranuclear vacuoles and naked nuclei. In the 20 lesions demonstrating well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma, significant cytologic findings included monotonous and scant cytoplasm, well-defined cytoplasmic borders, thick cytoplasm, eccentric nuclei, increased nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, thick nuclear membranes and increased chromatin density. We established the criteria for moderately and poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma as including three cytologic parameters: increased nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, irregular nuclear contours and increased chromatin density. We also established the criteria for well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma as including six cytologic parameters: monotonous cytoplasm, scant cytoplasm, well-defined cytoplasmic borders, thick cytoplasm, eccentric nuclei and increased nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio. For all 31 hepatocellular carcinoma lesions, including 27 lesions that were < or = 2 cm in diameter, both sensitivity and specificity were 100% by concurrently employing both criteria. CONCLUSION: The new criteria for cytodiagnosis we established were useful for differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma from liver cirrhosis. In particular, our criteria ensured appropriate diagnostic accuracy for well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Scanning electron microscopy in the study of lung cancer. New technique of comparative studies on the same lung cancer cells by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

A new technique for observing the same lung cancer cells by light microscope and SEM was developed. By this technique it was clarified that the surface ultrastructures of epidermoid carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and oat-cell carcinoma cells are different from each other. Those of adenocarcinoma and mesothelial cells were quite different. This technique might be of use, adding new information into the ordinary cytologic diagnosis of cancer cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The cell concentration method using acetylcysteine for sputum cytology.

In order to improve the results of cytologic diagnosis of pulmonary carcinoma, a technique for concentrating cells from sputum using acetylcysteine was developed. Using the same sputum specimens, the rate of positive cytologic diagnosis of pulmonary carcinoma by this method was increased by 22.6% over the level achieved by the direct smear method. This cell concentration method improved the rate of positive diagnosis in peripheral type pulmonary carcinoma and particularly in adenocarcinoma. The cell concentration method using acetylcysteine shows great promise in the cytologic diagnosis of sputum specimens.

Acetylcysteine↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cytologic diagnosis of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in sputum.

A prospective study of the value of sputum cytology in the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx and hypopharynx is reported. Sputum cytology established the diagnosis in 63.5% of the patients with laryngeal lesions and in 77.4% of the patients with hypopharyngeal lesions. In laryngeal cancer, a positive diagnosis by sputum cytology was related to clinical T factors (according to the TNM classification): while only 29.4% of T1 lesions were positively detected by sputum cytology, 63.3% of T2 lesions, 69.7% of T3 lesions and 79.2% of T4 lesions were so detected. In hypopharyngeal cancer, there was no discernible relationship between sputum cytodiagnosis and clinical T factors. Generally, there was only a small number of cancer cells present in the sputum in these cases. Some of the squamous cancer cells were not very conspicuous and would require careful screening of the sputum specimens to be detected.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Early diagnosis of small peripheral lung cancer--cytologic diagnosis of very fresh cancer cells obtained by the TV-brushing technique.

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Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Giant cell carcinoma of the lung: comparative studies of the same cancer cells by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

Surface ultrastructures of giant cell carcinoma cells were studied utilizing a technique developed by the authors which permits observation of the same cells by both light and scanning electron microscopy. Although some general similarity was shown to exist between giant cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma cells, the following distinguishing features of giant cell carcinoma cells were demonstrated: (1) absence of keratinization, (2) full, bulging cellular edges and (3) presence of deep invaginations or small hollows. The features which distinguished giant cell carcinoma from adenocarcinoma cells were: (1) presence of many flattened cells, (2) folded cell surface, (3) absence of tight clusters of cancer cells and (4) few microvilli. Furthermore, the characteristic granularity observed in small cell carcinoma was not observed in giant cell carcinoma cells. Characteristically, cells of giant cell carcinoma are extremely large and flattened, engulf numerous leukocytes and have a bulging cellular edge.

Biopsy, Needle↗