BACKGROUND The grey zone of cervical cytology, and in particular atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude HSIL (ASC-H) causes diagnostic difficulties and increases medical expenses. We analyzed p16INK4a expression in ASC-H liquid-based cytology specimens (LBCS) to develop more effective methods for the management of ASC-H patients. METHODS We carried out p16INK4a immunostaining with 57 LBCS of ASC-H diagnostic categories, all of which were histologically cofirmed and 43 cases of which were compared with the results of a human papillomavirus (HPV) chip test. RESULTS p16INK4a immunostaining with ASC-H LBCS was positive in 20% (3/15) of cervicitis, 25.0% (3/12) of tissue-low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, 75.0% (18/24) of tissue-high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), and 100% (6/6) of invasive cancer cases. The positivity of p16INK4a in LBCS was correlated with higher grade of histologic diagnosis (r=0.578, p=0.000). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of p16INK4a immunostaining for the prediction of tissue-HSIL+ were 80.0%, 77.8%, 80.0%, and 77.8%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of p16INK4a immunostaining plus HPV chip test for predicting tissue-HSIL+ were 71.2%, 86.4%, 84.2%, and 79.2%. CONCLUSIONS p16INK4a immunostaining as well as HPV chip testing with remaining LBCS with ASC-H are useful objective markers for the prediction of tissue-HSIL+.
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Usefulness of p16INK4a Immunocytochemical staining for the Differentiation between Atrophy and ASCUS in Diagnosis of Uterine Cervical Cancer Hye Ryoung Shin, Taekil Eom, Wan-Su Choi Biomedical Science Letters.2023; 29(3): 144. CrossRef
BACKGROUND Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection can be detected by in situ hybridization (ISH), in which a punctate signal pattern indicates integrated HPV DNA and a diffuse pattern denotes the presence of episomal viral DNA. This study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of an HPV ISH assay for invasive cervical cancer. METHODS The HPV ISH assay for high-risk HPV and immunohistochemical staining for p16(INK4a), p53, bcl-2, and Ki-67 were performed in a tissue microarray of 279 cervical cancers. RESULTS High-risk HPV ISH was positive in 194 (69.5%) of the samples. Punctate, diffuse, and mixed signal patterns were observed in 157 (56.3%), one (0.4%), and 36 cases (12.9%), respectively. Positive results in high-risk HPV ISH were associated with p16 and bcl-2 expression (p = 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively). According to a Cox regression analysis, HPV infection and its surrogate immunohistochemical markers such as p16, bcl-2, and Ki-67 were not independent prognostic factors, but stage and grade were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm that an HPV ISH assay is reasonably sensitive for HPV infection and that it might be useful to identify integrated HPV DNA in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens. Further study encompassing HPV type, E2/E6 ratio, and therapeutic modality is necessary to understand the clinical meaning of HPV status in cervical cancer.
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Prevalence of human papillomavirus in eyelid carcinoma among Koreans: a clinicopathological study Min Kyu Yang, Namju Kim, Hokyung Choung, Ji Eun Kim, Sang In Khwarg BMC Ophthalmology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
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Prognostic Significance of Amplification of thec-MYCGene in Surgically Treated Stage IB-IIB Cervical Cancer Tae-Jung Kim, Ahwon Lee, Sung-Jong Lee, Won-Chul Lee, Yeong-Jin Choi, Kyo-Young Lee, Chang Suk Kang The Korean Journal of Pathology.2011; 45(6): 596. CrossRef
We examined the expressions of CD44 splice variants (v4/5, v6), alpha-smooth muscle actin, nm23 to evaluate their roles as prognostic factors in 70 cases of uterine cervical carcinoma (stage IB to IIB) who were surgically treated from January 1989 to June 1990 with a clinical follow-up of a minimum of 5 years. The expression was examined by an immunohistochemical method using archival formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue. In the 70 cases, 61 cases were squamous cell carcinoma and 9 cases were adenocarcinoma.
CD44v4/5, CD44v6, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and nm23 were detected in 41.4%, 70%, 100%, and 74.3% of tumor samples, respectively. CD44 splice variants and nm23 showed membrane and cytoplasmic staining of tumor cells, respectively. The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin showed cytoplasmic staining confined to stromal cells and was classified into three grades by the extent in stromal cells: with less than 10% of stromal cells; 32.9%, 10-50% of stromal cells; 40.0%, more than 50%; 27.1%. These expressions were not correlated with histologic types, lymph node involvement, recurrence, and grades of tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL). But CD44v4/5 had significantly inverse correlation with TIL (p=0.049). The expression of CD44v4/5 was significantly correlated with that of CD44v6 (p=0.05), and that of alpha-smooth muscle actin was inversely correlated with that of nm23 (p=0.049). In conclusion, in FIGO IB-IIB uterine cervical carcinoma CD44 variants, nm23, and SMA show high prevalence, however, with little prognostic significance assessed by recurrence and lymph node metastasis.
Angiogenesis is an early event in tumorigenesis and facilitates tumor progression and metastasis. This study was performed to evaluate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), phospholipase C-gamma1 (PLC-gamma1) and Ki-67, and to assess the relationship between them in cervical squamous cell neoplasia. The materials were fifty cervical squamous cell lesions, consisted of thirty HSIL (6 moderate dysplasia, 11 severe dysplasia, 13 carcinoma in situ), and twenty invasive squamous cell carcinoma (ISCC) cases. Immunohistochemical stain for VEGF, PLC-gamma1 and Ki-67 were done. Expression rate of VEGF was significantly higher in ISCC than in HSIL (p=0.012). PLC-gamma1 expression was significantly higher in ISCC than in HSIL (p=0.004).
Ki-67 labelling index was significantly higher in ISCC than in HSIL (p=0.001) and higher in VEGF-positive tumors than in VEGF-negative tumors (p=0.018), but there were no significant differences between PLC-gamma1 expression and Ki-67 labelling index (p>0.05), and between PLC-gamma1 and VEGF (p>0.05). This study suggests that PLC-gamma1 and VEGF may play an important role in tumor cell proliferation and invasion, and these may be a useful marker to predict the possibility of invasion in cervical cancer.
Angiogenesis is a critical factor in the progression of solid tumors, including cervical cancers. The mechanisms responsible for angiogenesis in uterine cervical neoplasia are not well defined. To determine the relationship between angiogenesis and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the cervical neoplasia, the author studied 63 cases of the cervical neoplasia diagnosed between the years 1993 to 1997 at Pusan National University Hospital. The expression of VEGF was semiquantitatively analyzed in paraffin sections by immunohistochemical method.
Histologic sections immunostained for factor VIII-related antigen were evaluated for microvessel density. Increased expression of VEGF and microvessel counts was significantly correlated with depth of invasion. Increased microvessel counts were also significantly associated with increased VEGF expression. These results suggest that VEGF is an important angiogenic factor and associated with progression of the cervical neoplasia.
In order to understand the possible involvement of bcl-2 and p53 proteins in the tumorigenesis of the cervical cancer and precancerous lesion, we studied the expression patterns of bcl-2 and p53 proteins in 25 cases of carcinoma in situ, 12 cases of microinvasive cervical carcinoma, and 37 cases of invasive cervical carcinoma, respectively. By immunohistochemistry, 76% of in situ carcinoma, 83.3% of microinvasive cervical carcinoma, and 60.9% of invasive cervical carcinoma were positive for bcl-2, while the staining of basal cell layers, columnar cells, and squamous metaplastic epithelium of normal cervical epithelium were positive for bcl-2 in 91.9%, 73.1%, and 81.8% of cases, respectively. Furthermore, two out of fourteen cases of invasive cervical carcinoma with lymph node metastasis were positive for bcl-2. p53 was expressed in 72.7% of condyloma or dysplasia, 12% of in situ carcinomas, 33.3% of microinvasive cervical carcinoma, and 43.5% of invasive cervical carcinomas without metastasis. Six out of fourteen cases of invasive cervical carcinoma with lymph node metastasis were positive for p53 immunostaining.
In contrast, 5.4% of basal cells and 9.1% of squamous epithelium, and none of the columnar cells in normal cervical epithelium were positive for p53. In summary, the bcl-2 protein was highly expressed in the proliferative lesion of reserve cells, such as normal reserve cells, columnar cells, squamous metaplasia, carcinoma in situ, and microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma. p53 expression was increased in condyloma, carcinoma in situ, and invasive carcinoma where the reserve cells were non-proliferative. Based on these findings, we propose that bcl-2 and p53 protein are involved in the development and progression of uterine cervical carcinoma.
Seong Rim Kim, Sang Yong Song, Dae Shick Kim, Jung Won Lee, Chang Soo Park, Duk Soo Bae, Hyen Ji Lee, Kyung Tae Kim, Oh Joong Kwon, Eun Seop Song, Hee Jae Joo, Gheungwhan Ahn
BACKGROUND Self-collection of secretion samples for HPV testing is a feasible alternative method for women who would decline to participate in population based cervical cancer programs. The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of self-sampling for HPV in determining high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) using the pad, and we also wished to compare the results from samples collected by women themselves and those results from samples collected by physicians. METHODS Fifty patients voluntarily participated in the sensitivity and specificity study at the university hospitals and 290 volunteers participated in the agreement study at local clinics. DNA was extracted and amplified using HPV L1 consensus primers for the direct sequencing of the pad samples. RESULTS For the detection of HSIL, self-collected pad sampling showed good sensitivity (75.0%) and excellent specificity (100%). Two hundreds eighty-six samples from the pads and concurrent physicians?samples showed the agreement at 98.6% with the Kappa, 0.9622 (p=0.0000). CONCLUSIONS A self-sampling method using the pad for the detection of HPV DNA is suggested to be an efficient method to access many women for screening easily, rapidly and conveniently. Testing the pad method? utility for a country- or large area-based mass screening study will be necessary in the future.