Le cancer de vessie représente la sixième cause de mortalité par cancer en France. Son incidence a augmenté ces 20 dernières années, mais les taux de survie restent inchangés. La carcinogénèse vésicale fait intervenir différents mécanismes moléculaires qui agissent en réseau comme c’est le cas dans de nombreux cancers. Le développement récent de nouveaux traitements prenant spécifiquement pour cible certaines voies de signalisation apportent de nouveaux espoirs thérapeutiques. Nous nous sommes intéressés dans ce travail à trois axes de recherche pour tenter d’identifier, dans les carcinomes urothéliaux, de nouveaux marqueurs pronostiques moléculaires et de nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques potentielles: l’angiogénèse, la voie de signalisation Hedgehog et les microARNs. Nous avons choisi la RT-PCR quantitative en temps réel à grande échelle permettant d’évaluer le niveau d’expression de nombreux gènes, avec une quantification précise et reproductible des transcrits. L’expression de ces gènes a été corrélée aux données de suivi clinique afin d’identifier de nouveaux biomarqueurs moléculaires prédictifs de l’évolution des tumeurs de vessie.Nous avons ainsi pu démontrer que les niveaux d’expression de certains de ces gènes variaient de façon significative dans les tumeurs de vessie, confirmant le rôle de l’angiogénèse dans la carcinogénèse urothéliale, et plus particulièrement de la voie du VEGF, et suggérant une implication majeure de la voie de signalisation Hedgehog et des microARNs. Par ailleurs, nous avons également pu identifier plusieurs biomarqueurs ayant une valeur pronostique en terme de survie globale dans les tumeurs infiltrantes. C’est le cas du VEGF, qui semble être un biomarqueur moléculaire particulièrement intéressant puisqu’il existe des thérapies ciblées spécifiquement dirigées contre ce ligand ou ses récepteurs avec plusieurs essais cliniques actuellement en cours dans le cancer de vessie. C’est également le cas d’une signature moléculaire associant 3 miARNs (miR-9, miR-182 et miR-200b) ayant une valeur péjorative dans les tumeurs infiltrantes, ouvrant la voie vers de nouvelles stratégies thérapeutiques.L’ensemble de ces études confirment l’intérêt majeur d’une meilleure compréhension des bases moléculaires de la carcinogénèse urothéliale vésicale débouchant sur l’utilisation rationnelle de nouvelles thérapies ciblées dans le cancer de vessie, avec l’espoir d’en améliorer la prise en charge et l’évolution. / Bladder cancer is the sixth cause of cancer mortality in France and its incidence is increasing since the last 20 years, with no improvement in survival outcomes. Bladder carcinogenesis involves different molecular mechanisms such as in many cancers. The recent development of new targeted therapies targeting signaling pathways provides new therapeutic hopes.In this work, we choose to study three molecular pathways in order to identify new prognostic markers and new therapeutic targets in urothelial carcinoma: angiogenesis, Hedgehog signaling pathway, and microRNAs. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was performed to measure simultaneously expression levels of several genes with precise and reproductible RNA quantification. Our results were correlated with clinical outcomes to identify new molecular markers associated with bladder cancer evolution and to guide the potential use of targeted therapies.We were able to demonstrate that expression levels of several transcripts differ significantly in bladder tumors as compared to normal bladder and that some of them may have a prognostic implication. This is the case of VEGF, which appears to be an interesting molecular marker since there are targeted therapies specifically targeting the pathway and several ongoing trials in bladder cancer. The Hedgehog pathway also appears to be altered in bladder tumors, with a ligand-dependent activation. Then, we were able to identify several deregulated microRNAs and describe a molecular 3 miRNA-signature (miR-9, miR-182 and miR-200b) having a prognostic value in muscle-invasive bladder tumors. All these studies confirm the major interest of molecular biology and new targeted therapies in the treatment of bladder cancer, with the hope of improving management and evolution.

Carcinoma de Células Renais (CCR) representa uma família de tumores distintos com evolução clínica imprevisível. Uma variedade de moléculas tem sido avaliada como marcadores prognósticos para CCR. Ciclina D1, uma proteína reguladora do ciclo celular, encontra-se superexpressa em vários tumores primários. Nosso objetivo é avaliar sua expressão como marcador prognóstico em CCR. Antes disso, traçamos um perfil clínico e histopatológico da amostra e verificamos sua relação com os fatores prognósticos considerados clássicos pela literatura. 109 espécimes de pacientes diagnosticados com CCR foram obtidos entre 2005 e 2010 no Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto USP e submetidos à análise imunoistoquímica juntamente com 07 amostras de tecido renal normal. A maior parte das características epidemiológicas e clínicas de nossa amostra foi similar àquelas descritas na literatura mundial. Houve predomínio do gênero masculino, da raça branca, com idade próxima a 60 anos, frequência de pacientes assintomáticos em torno de 36% e grande prevalência do CCR de células claras (71,55%). A mortalidade específica da doença foi de 13,76%, sendo o CCR de células claras o tipo mais frequente entre os óbitos e casos metastáticos. Os casos que exibiram má evolução clínica, definida pela ocorrência de metástase e/ou óbito por CCR (22,01%), estiveram associados à presença de sintomas ao diagnóstico, maior tamanho tumoral, grupo de estágio alto (III ou IV), grau nuclear de Fuhrman alto (3 ou 4), presença de necrose e de diferenciação sarcomatóide no tumor, além de outros fatores histológicos desfavoráveis (p < 0,01). Isso indica que as variáveis utilizadas na avaliação de prognóstico em países desenvolvidos podem ser aplicadas aos nossos pacientes. Não houve expressão imunoistoquímica de Ciclina D1 nos casos de tecido renal normal. Observou-se heterogeneidade de marcação nuclear intratumoral no total de casos e menor expressão proteica entre os CCR papilífero e cromófobo. Pacientes com tumores com Ciclina D1baixa (até 30% de células positivas) apresentaram má evolução clínica (p = 0,03), maior tamanho tumoral (p = 0,01), presença de sintomas ao diagnóstico (p = 0,04), grau nuclear alto (p = 0,001), presença de necrose (p = 0,004) e de diferenciação sarcomatóide (p = 0,04) no tumor, além de menor sobrevida sem metástase e/ou óbito por CCR (p = 0,03). Após análise multivariada, a expressão de Ciclina D1 não apresentou valor prognóstico independente para má evolução clínica, embora tenha aumentado levemente a acurácia prognóstica do modelo adotado. Em todas as análises realizadas para o CCR de células claras isoladamente, observamos significância estatística semelhante à do total de casos (CCR). Nosso estudo demonstrou que: a proteína Ciclina D1 encontra-se superexpressa em CCR; os tipos de CCR parecem exibir diferentes padrões de marcação imunoistoquímica da Ciclina D1; alta marcação da proteína (acima de 30% de células positivas) esteve associada à boa evolução clínica e à maioria dos fatores prognósticos favoráveis bem estabelecidos na literatura. Novas investigações são necessárias para descobrir que mecanismos levam a seu acúmulo nas células neoplásicas e quais outros eventos podem estar contribuindo para a progressão da doença. / Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is a family of distinct tumors with unpredictable clinical outcome. A variety of molecules have been evaluated as prognostic markers for RCC. Cyclin D1, a cell cycle regulatory protein, is overexpressed in several primary tumors. Our purpose is to evaluate its expression as a prognostic marker in RCC. Before that, we drew a clinical and histopathological profile of the sample and verified its relationship with prognostic factors regarded as classics in literature. 109 specimens from patients diagnosed with RCC were obtained between 2005 and 2010 at Hospital das Clínicas - Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine USP and submitted to immunohistochemical analysis, along with 07 normal kidney tissue samples. Most epidemiological and clinical characteristics of our sample were similar to those described in the literature. There was a predominance of male, Caucasian, aged about 60 years, the frequency of asymptomatic patients around 36%, and high prevalence of clear cell RCC (71.55%). The disease-specific mortality was 13.76%, being the clear cell RCC the most frequent type among deaths and metastatic cases. Cases that exhibited poor clinical outcome, defined by the occurrence of metastasis and/or death by RCC (22.01%), were related to the presence of symptoms at diagnosis, larger tumor size, high stage group (III or IV), high Fuhrman nuclear grade (3 or 4), presence of necrosis and sarcomatoid differentiation in the tumor and other unfavorable histological factors (p < 0.01). This indicates that the variables used in the assessment of prognosis in developed countries can be applied to our patients. There was no immunohistochemical expression of Cyclin D1 in cases of normal kidney tissue. There was intratumoral heterogeneity in nuclear staining in all cases and lower protein expression among papillary and chromophobe RCC. Patients with Cyclin D1low tumors (up to 30% positive cells) showed poor clinical outcome (p = 0.03), larger tumor size (p = 0.01), presence of symptoms at diagnosis (p = 0.04), high nuclear grade (p = 0.001), presence of necrosis (p = 0.004) and sarcomatoid differentiation (p = 0.04) in the tumor and lower survival without metastasis and/or death by RCC (p = 0.03). After multivariate analysis, the expression of Cyclin D1 showed no independent prognostic value for poor clinical outcome, although it has slightly increased the prognostic accuracy of the model adopted. In all analyzes performed for clear cell RCC alone, we observed statistical significance similar to that of the total cases (RCC). Our study showed that: Cyclin D1 protein is overexpressed in RCC; RCC types seem to exhibit different patterns of immunohistochemical staining for Cyclin D1; high protein expression (over 30% positive cells) was related to good clinical outcome and to most favorable prognostic factors well established in the literature. Further investigations are necessary to reveal which mechanisms lead to its accumulation in neoplastic cells and what other events might be contributing to the progression of the disease.

O avanço tecnológico nas unidades de terapia intensiva pediátricas (UTIPs) tornou-as aptas ao atendimento de casos de alta complexidade e elevado custo. Porém, a tecnologia disponível nem sempre tem conseguido melhorar a qualidade de atendimento aos pacientes e a própria capacidade de prolongar o tempo de vida torna-se um instrumento que potencializa a dor e o sofrimento. Sendo assim, tornou-se necessário caracterizar o estágio de gravidade da doença, que reflete a magnitude das comorbidades e distúrbios fisiológicos, no momento da internação. Esse procedimento pode ser realizado através dos escores prognósticos de mortalidade que quantificam a gravidade da doença, estimando a probabilidade de óbito de acordo com seu estágio clínico. Atualmente os escores prognósticos fazem parte das metodologias de controle de qualidade e de pesquisa. O Pediatric Risk of Mortality escore (PRISM) é um dos escores mais utilizados na unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica (UTIP). O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a utilização do PRISM quanto a sua capacidade de discriminação entre sobreviventes e não-sobreviventes e determinar os fatores de prognóstico para óbito em uma UTIP terciária. Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo na UTIP do Instituto da Criança do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, que é considerada de nível de atendimento terciário. Foi anotado o valor do PRISM correspondente às primeiras 24 horas de internação; dados demográficos e da internação, para melhor caracterização da amostra. Foram incluídos 359 pacientes; as variáveis encontradas como fatores de prognóstico para óbito foram: presença de síndrome de disfunção de múltiplos órgãos e sistemas (SDMOS) à admissão, ventilação mecânica (VM), uso de fármacos vasoativos, infecção hospitalar, terapia nutricional parenteral (TNP) e duração da internação (p < 0,0001 para todas as variáveis). Cinquenta e quatro pacientes (15%) evoluíram a óbito; a mediana do PRISM foi significativamente maior nos pacientes que evoluíram para óbito (p= 0,0001). A curva ROC do PRISM mostrou um valor de 0.76 (IC 95% 0,690,83) e a calibração, calculada pelo teste qui-quadrado de Hosmer-Lemeshow, evidenciou x2 = 12,96 com p=0,11, sendo que para este teste é considerado significativamente estatístico um valor de p > 0,05. É importante a implantação de controle estrito de qualidade nas UTIPs para identificar grupos de risco para óbito e medir a eficácia do tratamento. Embora alguns autores já tenham enfatizado que o PRISM superestima a mortalidade e não seria apropriado em populações pediátricas específicas, esse estudo mostrou que o PRISM apresenta capacidade discriminatória adequada em diferenciar sobreviventes dos não-sobreviventes e constitui ferramenta útil para avaliar o prognóstico dos pacientes admitidos em UTIP terciária. / Technological advances in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) has made them suitable for the treatment of high complexity cases and high cost. However, the technology available has not always succeeded in improving the quality of patient care and their own ability to prolong the life becomes a tool that leverages the pain and suffering, sometimes prolonging the dying process. Thus, it became necessary to characterize the stage of disease severity, which reflects the magnitude of comorbidities and physiological disorders, at admission. These procedures can be performed by way of the mortality prognostic scores that quantify the severity of the disease, estimating the probability of death according to their clinical state. Nowadays the prognostic scores make part of the methodology of quality control and research. The Pediatric Risk of Mortality score (PRISM) is one of the main scores used in the PICU. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of PRISM for their ability to discriminate between survivors and non-survivors and to determine the prognostic factors for death in a tertiary PICU. Retrospective cohort study was conducted in the PICU of Instituto da Criança do Hospital das Clinicas of University São Paulo, which is considered a PICU of a tertiary care level. The PRISM scores (corresponding to the first 24 hours of hospitalization), demographic and hospitalization data were noted to better characterize the study population. We included 359 patients and the variables that were found to have prognostic factors for death were multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) on admission, mechanical ventilation (MV), use of vasoactive drugs, hospital-acquired infection, parenteral nutrition therapy (PNT) and longer period of hospitalization (p < 0,0001 for all variables). Fifty-four patients (15%) died; median PRISM score was significantly higher in patients who died (p= 0,0001). The ROC curve for PRISM yielded a value of 0.76 (CI 95% 0,690,83) and the calibration, calculated using the Hosmer-Lemeshow chi-square test, was shown x2 = 12,96 with p=0,11, being that for this test is considered a statistically significant p > 0.05 . It is imperative for PICU to implement strict quality controls to identify groups at greatest risk of death and to ensure the adequacy of treatment. Although some authors have shown that the PRISM score overestimates mortality and that it is not appropriate in specific pediatric populations, in this study PRISM showed satisfactory discriminatory performance in differentiating between survivors and non-survivors and constitutes a useful tool for the assessment of prognosis for pediatric patients admitted to a tertiary PICU.

O mastocitoma (MCT) é um dos tumores mais frequentes em cães, compreendendo de 16 a 21% de todas as neoplasias cutâneas nesta espécie. A graduação histológica é considerada o padrão ouro na avaliação prognóstica dos MCTs, porém seu comportamento biológico variado ressalta a necessidade de métodos complementares para uma avaliação precisa. Atualmente, identifica-se na literatura indexada uma série de estudos propondo novos marcadores moleculares como fatores prognósticos em MCTs caninos, porém poucos estão consolidados na rotina clínica e/ou diagnóstica. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo principal investigar o valor prognóstico de marcadores imunohistoquímicos publicados em artigos científicos através de uma revisão sistemática e meta-análise, assim como avaliar o valor prognóstico do fator de crescimento do endotélio vascular (VEGF) em MCTs caninos. O processo de revisão sistemática se iniciou com 124 estudos identificados em 5 bases de dados e, após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, 7 artigos foram selecionados para a meta-análise. Os resultados demonstraram que o marcador de proliferação celular Ki67 pode ser considerado um bom fator prognóstico nos MCTs caninos. Porém, a baixa qualidade dos artigos e a insuficiência de dados publicados impossibilitaram a avaliação de outros marcadores, incluindo o receptor de tirosina quinase KIT. No estudo retrospectivo, a imunoexpressão dos marcadores KIT, Ki67 e VEGF foi avaliada em MCTs cutâneos de 43 cães. O marcador Ki67 apresentou correlação significativa com a taxa de mortalidade e sobrevida e o marcador KIT apresentou diferença significativa de sobrevida entre o padrão membranoso e citoplasmático difuso, porém não foram observadas diferenças no VEGF. Em conclusão, estes estudos validaram os marcadores de proliferação celular Ki67 e o receptor de tirosina quinase KIT como principais fatores prognósticos em MCTs caninos, enquanto o VEGF não foi indicado. Por fim, a revisão sistemática permitiu uma análise crítica da qualidade dos trabalhos publicados na área, ressaltando a importância da padronização de metodologias analíticas e da documentação completa de dados clínicos, patológicos e estatísticos empregados em estudos controlados na oncologia veterinária. / Mast cell tumor (MCT) is one of the most frequent tumors in dogs, accounting for 16 to 21% of all cutaneous tumors in this species. Histological grading is considered the standard evaluation method to access the prognostic of MCTs. However, its varied biological behavior highlights the need of complementary methods for an accurate evaluation. Currently, a number of studies proposing new molecular markers as prognostic factors in canine MCTs is identified in the indexed literature, but few are consolidated in the clinical and/or diagnostic routine. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of immunohistochemical markers published in scientific articles through a systematic review and meta-analysis, as well as to evaluate the prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in canine MCTs. The systematic review process has started with 124 studies identified in 5 databases and, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 7 articles were selected for the meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that the cell proliferation marker Ki67 can be considered a good prognostic factor in canine MCTs. However, poor quality of the articles and insufficient published data made it impossible to evaluate other markers, including the tyrosine kinase receptor KIT. In the retrospective study, immunoexpression of KIT, Ki67 and VEGF markers was evaluated in cutaneous MCTs from 43 dogs. The Ki67 marker showed a significant correlation with the mortality and survival rates, and the KIT marker showed a significant difference in survival between the membranous and diffuse cytoplasmic patterns groups, but no differences were observed in VEGF. In conclusion, these studies validated the cell proliferation marker Ki67 and the KIT tyrosine kinase receptor as major prognostic factors in canine MCTs, whereas VEGF was not indicated. Finally, the systematic review allowed a critical analysis of the quality of the published studies in this area, emphasizing the importance of the standardization of analytical methodologies and the complete documentation of clinical, pathological and statistical data used in controlled studies in veterinary oncology.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-19T18:16:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ELDA PEREIRA NORONHA.pdf: 2725549 bytes, checksum: 8726d2a693daed2c3b58abc727f064a3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-07-07 / FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA E AO DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTIFICO E TECNOLÓGICO DO MARANHÃO / Acute leukaemia is the most common type of cancer in childhood. Its diagnosis depends on immunophenotyping, which enables identification of the lineage, the grade of maturation, and the identification of markers with prognostic value. Assessment of the incidence of leukaemia subtypes worldwide has shown important variations in relation to geographical distribution, sex, age, ethnicity and socio-economic conditions. The objective of this work was to determine the immunophenotypic profile and the frequency, in different age groups, of subtypes of acute leukaemia in patients treated at the oncology center of reference Instituto Maranhense de Oncologia Aldenora Bello, in São Luís, Maranhão, and to study, in children with acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL), the relationship between the expression of CD34 and the expression of aberrant phenotypes and prognostic factors. The diagnosis of acute leukaemia was obtained based on blood count, myelograms, cytochemical tests and immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. Monoclonal antibodies were used against T antigens (CD1a, CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5, CD7 and CD8), B antigens (CD10, CD19, CD22, CD79a and IgM), antigens of myeloid (CD13, CD14, CD33, CD64, CD117, MPO), erythroid (alpha-glycophorin), and platelet (CD61 and CD41a) differentiation, non-specific lineage antigen (CD45) and precursor cell antigens (CD34, HLA-DR). Acute leukaemia was classified according to the French-American-British (FAB) classification criteria and those of the European Group for the Immunological Characterisation of Leukaemias (EGIL). Seventy cases of de novo acute leukaemias were analysed over the period from September 2008 to January 2010, of which 31.4% were in adults and 68.6% in children. Among the adult patients 22.7% were diagnosed with ALL and 77.3% with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), with the AML M0 subtype being most frequent. In children, 77.1% of the patients were diagnosed with ALL, and 18.7% with AML, with the AML M4 subtype the most frequent, and 4.2% with acute biphenotypic leukaemia (ABL). Among ALL, in children, B-ALL represented 72.9% of the cases and T-ALL 27.1%. The peak incidence of ALL was between 1 and 4 years of age. The most frequent subtypes of B-ALL were BII-ALL (pre-pre-B, common B), followed by the subtype BIII-ALL (pre-B). Among ALL and AML there was anomalous expression in 45.2% and 26.9% of cases, respectively. In ALL among children no statistically significant difference was found between the groups with and without anomalous expression in relation to the haematological parameters and the response to treatment. The expression of CD34 was negatively correlated with the number of leucocytes and percentage of blasts in peripheral blood. Furthermore, the expression of CD34 in B-ALL appeared to be associated with characteristics of better prognosis, while in T-ALL the opposite was observed. The antibodies used were sufficient to classify the cases immunologically. The use of immunophenotyping to diagnose acute leukaemias in our state enabled the diagnosis of minimally differentiated cases of AML (AML M0), as well as detection of the increased frequency of T-ALL in our population, suggesting that there may be differences in the prevalence of the FAB subtypes of AML, as well as the subtypes of ALL, in different regions of Brazil. / A leucemia aguda é o tipo de câncer mais comum na infância. Para o seu diagnóstico é indispensável a utilização da imunofenotipagem, que permite definir a linhagem, o grau de maturação, e a identificação de marcadores com valor prognóstico. A avaliação da incidência dos subtipos de leucemias no mundo tem mostrado variações importantes em relação à distribuição geográfica, sexo, idade, raça e condições sociais. Este trabalho objetivou determinar o perfil imunofenotípico e a freqüência, em diferentes faixas etárias, dos subtipos de leucemias agudas de pacientes tratados no centro oncológico de referencia Instituto Maranhense de Oncologia Aldenora Bello em São Luís-Maranhão; e estudar, em crianças com Leucemia Linfóide Aguda (LLA), a relação da expressão do CD34 e de fenótipos aberrantes com fatores prognósticos. O diagnóstico das leucemias agudas foi feito com base no hemograma, mielograma, provas citoquímicas e imunofenotipagem por citometria de fluxo. Utilizou-se anticorpos monoclonais contra antígenos T (CD1a, CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5, CD7 e CD8), antígenos B (CD10, CD19, CD22, CD79a e IgM) , antígenos de diferenciação mielóide (CD13, CD14, CD33, CD64, CD117, MPO), eritróide (alfa-glicoforina), plaquetário (CD61 e CD41a), antígeno de linhagem não específica (CD45) e antígenos de células precursoras (CD34, HLA-DR). As leucemias agudas foram classificadas de acordo com os critérios da classificação Franco-Americana-Britânica (FAB) e do Grupo Europeu para Caracterização Imunológica das Leucemias (EGIL). Analisou-se 70 casos de leucemias agudas de novo no período de setembro de 2008 a janeiro de 2010, dos quais 31,4% eram em adultos e 68,6% em crianças. 22,7% dos pacientes adultos foram diagnosticados como LLA e 77,3% como leucemia mielóide aguda (LMA), sendo o subtipo LMA M0 o mais freqüente. Em crianças, 77,1% dos pacientes foram diagnosticados como LLA, 18,7% como LMA, sendo mais freqüente o subtipo LMA M4 e 4,2% como leucemia bifenotípica aguda (BAL). Entre as LLA, em crianças, a LLAB representou 72,9% dos casos e a LLA T 27,1%. O pico de incidência da LLA foi entre 1 e 4 anos. Os subtipos de LLAB mais freqüente foram LLABII (pré-pré-B, B comum), seguido do subtipo LLA BIII (pré-B). Na LLA e LMA houve expressão anômala em 45,2% e 26,9% dos casos, respectivamente. Na LLA, em crianças, não se encontrou diferença estatisticamente significante, entre os grupos com e sem expressão anômala, em relação aos parâmetros hematológicos e resposta ao tratamento. A expressão do CD34 apresentou-se com correlação negativa com o número de leucócitos e porcentagem de blastos em sangue periférico. Pode-se observar que a expressão do CD34 na LLAB parece estar associada a características de melhor prognóstico, já na LLAT observa-se o contrário. Os anticorpos utilizados foram suficientes para classificar imunologicamente os casos. A utilização da imunofenotipagem para o diagnóstico de leucemias agudas em nosso estado permitiu diagnosticar casos de LMA minimamente diferenciadas (LMA M0), bem como as LLAT ocorridas com elevada freqüência em nossa população, sugerindo que podem haver diferenças na prevalência dos subtipos FAB da LMA, assim como dos subtipos de LLA, em diferentes regiões do Brasil.

O mastocitoma (MCT) é um dos tumores mais frequentes em cães, compreendendo de 16 a 21% de todas as neoplasias cutâneas nesta espécie. A graduação histológica é considerada o padrão ouro na avaliação prognóstica dos MCTs, porém seu comportamento biológico variado ressalta a necessidade de métodos complementares para uma avaliação precisa. Atualmente, identifica-se na literatura indexada uma série de estudos propondo novos marcadores moleculares como fatores prognósticos em MCTs caninos, porém poucos estão consolidados na rotina clínica e/ou diagnóstica. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo principal investigar o valor prognóstico de marcadores imunohistoquímicos publicados em artigos científicos através de uma revisão sistemática e meta-análise, assim como avaliar o valor prognóstico do fator de crescimento do endotélio vascular (VEGF) em MCTs caninos. O processo de revisão sistemática se iniciou com 124 estudos identificados em 5 bases de dados e, após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, 7 artigos foram selecionados para a meta-análise. Os resultados demonstraram que o marcador de proliferação celular Ki67 pode ser considerado um bom fator prognóstico nos MCTs caninos. Porém, a baixa qualidade dos artigos e a insuficiência de dados publicados impossibilitaram a avaliação de outros marcadores, incluindo o receptor de tirosina quinase KIT. No estudo retrospectivo, a imunoexpressão dos marcadores KIT, Ki67 e VEGF foi avaliada em MCTs cutâneos de 43 cães. O marcador Ki67 apresentou correlação significativa com a taxa de mortalidade e sobrevida e o marcador KIT apresentou diferença significativa de sobrevida entre o padrão membranoso e citoplasmático difuso, porém não foram observadas diferenças no VEGF. Em conclusão, estes estudos validaram os marcadores de proliferação celular Ki67 e o receptor de tirosina quinase KIT como principais fatores prognósticos em MCTs caninos, enquanto o VEGF não foi indicado. Por fim, a revisão sistemática permitiu uma análise crítica da qualidade dos trabalhos publicados na área, ressaltando a importância da padronização de metodologias analíticas e da documentação completa de dados clínicos, patológicos e estatísticos empregados em estudos controlados na oncologia veterinária. / Mast cell tumor (MCT) is one of the most frequent tumors in dogs, accounting for 16 to 21% of all cutaneous tumors in this species. Histological grading is considered the standard evaluation method to access the prognostic of MCTs. However, its varied biological behavior highlights the need of complementary methods for an accurate evaluation. Currently, a number of studies proposing new molecular markers as prognostic factors in canine MCTs is identified in the indexed literature, but few are consolidated in the clinical and/or diagnostic routine. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of immunohistochemical markers published in scientific articles through a systematic review and meta-analysis, as well as to evaluate the prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in canine MCTs. The systematic review process has started with 124 studies identified in 5 databases and, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 7 articles were selected for the meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that the cell proliferation marker Ki67 can be considered a good prognostic factor in canine MCTs. However, poor quality of the articles and insufficient published data made it impossible to evaluate other markers, including the tyrosine kinase receptor KIT. In the retrospective study, immunoexpression of KIT, Ki67 and VEGF markers was evaluated in cutaneous MCTs from 43 dogs. The Ki67 marker showed a significant correlation with the mortality and survival rates, and the KIT marker showed a significant difference in survival between the membranous and diffuse cytoplasmic patterns groups, but no differences were observed in VEGF. In conclusion, these studies validated the cell proliferation marker Ki67 and the KIT tyrosine kinase receptor as major prognostic factors in canine MCTs, whereas VEGF was not indicated. Finally, the systematic review allowed a critical analysis of the quality of the published studies in this area, emphasizing the importance of the standardization of analytical methodologies and the complete documentation of clinical, pathological and statistical data used in controlled studies in veterinary oncology.

Pancreatic endocrine tumors and gastrointestinal stromal tumors are rare. Evidence regarding prognostic factors, and in the former also treatment, is scarce. We evaluated the survival and prognostic factors in a consecutive series of 324 patients with pancreatic endocrine tumors treated at a single institution. Radical surgery, WHO classification, TNM stage, age and Ki67 ≥2% emerged as independent prognostic factors. Having a non-functioning tumor was not an independent prognostic marker, and neither was hereditary tumor disease. We present the first evaluation of the newly proposed TNM staging system for these patients. A separate analysis of well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas is reported, suggesting tumor size ≥5cm and Ki67 ≥2% as negative prognostic markers in this group. The first 36 patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors treated with temozolomide at our clinic were evaluated. The median time to progression was seven months. Fourteen percent showed partial regression and 53% stabilization of disease. Side effects were generally mild. Investigation of O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase revealed a low expression in a subset of tumors. Four out of five patients responding to treatment had tumors with low expression. Concomitant expression of the orexigen ghrelin and its receptor in pancreatic endocrine tumors is demonstrated. No significant difference in mean plasma ghrelin between patients and controls were found, but elevated plasma ghrelin was seen in five patients. We provide the first report of expression of ghrelin and its receptor in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Concomitant expression was frequent, indicating the presence of an autocrine loop. The tumors also expressed the neuroendocrine marker synaptic vesicle protein 2. Together, these findings are suggestive of neuroendocrine features.

Στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του 80 μια νέα εποχή ξεκινά για την Μαστογραφία και τον καρκίνο του Μαστού, με τη χρήση της τεχνικής "χαμηλής δόσης Μαστογραφίας", τη σωστή ενημέρωση των γυναικών για την πρόληψη του καρκίνου του μαστού και την εφαρμογή του πληθυσμιακού ελέγχου σε ασυμπτωματικές γυναίκες, με συνέπεια να αυξήσουν τον αριθμό των μη-ψηλαφητών και μη ψηλαφητών καρκίνων μαστού που διαγιγνώσκονται σε πρώιμα στάδια (0, Ι, ΙΙ, ΙΙΙΑ κλπ) με καλλίτερη πρόγνωση και θεραπεία. Προηγούμενες κλινικές μελέτες προσπάθησαν να συσχετίσουν τα ακτινολογικά με τα ιστολογικά χαρακτηριστικά του καρκίνου του μαστού αλλά δεν κατάφεραν να αναδείξουν σημαντικές διαφορές όσον αφορά τα ιστολογικά και βιολογικά χαρακτηριστικά μεταξύ των συμπωματικών και των μαστογραφικά εντοπιζόμενων μη ψηλαφητών καρκινωμάτων του μαστού . Επιπλέον, αρκετοί ερευνητές φαίνεται να καταλήγουν στο συμπέρασμα ότι τα καλά προγνωστικά χαρακτηριστικά των καρκινωμάτων του μαστού που αναδεικνύονται με την προληπτική μαστογραφία σχετίζονται άμεσα ή έμμεσα με την επίδραση βιολογικών παραγόντων. Σκοπός της παρούσας μελέτης είναι η ανάδειξη των δεικτών που σχετίζονται με την μαστογραφική απεικόνιση της κακοήθων ογκόμορφων αλλοιώσεων ψηλαφητών και μη και της επιθετικότητας της νόσου. Μελετήθηκαν συνολικά πεντακόσιες εβδομήντα τέσσερεις ογκόμορφες αλλοιώσεις ψηλαφητές ή μη του μαστού σε πεντακόσιες εβδομήντα ασθενείς που εντοπίστηκαν κατά τη διάρκεια του μαστογραφικού ελέγχου στο εργαστήριο μας κατά την περίοδο 1994- 2004. Όλοι οι ασθενείς υποβλήθηκαν σε βιοψία δια λεπτής βελόνης (FNA) ή κατευθυνόμενη από με μαστογραφία χειρουργική βιοψία. Η ιστολογική εξέταση ανέδειξε 410/574 (71,4%) κακοήθεις ογκόμορφες αλλοιώσεις και 164/574 (28,5%) καλοήθεις. Ανοσοϊστοχημεία πραγματοποιήθηκε σε τομές παραφίνης σε 390 από τις 410 κακοήθεις αλλοιώσεις χρησιμοποιώντας μία ποικιλία μονοκλωνικών και πολυκλωνικών αντισωμάτων ενάντια στις εξής πρωτεϊνες: ER, PR, p53, HER-2,Ki 67 και KATH D. Οι κακοήθεις ογκόμορφες αλλοιώσεις ταξινομήθηκα από την Μαστογραφική τους απεικόνιση (σύμφωνα Breast Imaging Reporting and Dada System BI RADS) σε τρείς κατηγορίες : στην κατηγορία Β (οι αστεροειδείς κακοήθεις ογκόμορφες αλλοιώσεις) ήταν το (44,8%), στην κατηγορία Α (οι άτονες με ασαφή ή εν μέρει ασαφή όρια) το 36% και στην κατηγορία Γ (σκιάσεις και αποτιτανώσεις) που ήταν 18,2% όλων των κακοήθων ογκόμορφων αλλοιώσεων. Η ανάλυση των αποτελεσμάτων μεταξύ της μαστογραφικής απεικόνισης των κακοήθων ογκόμορφων αλλοιώσεων και των ιστολογικών και βιολογικών χαρακτηριστικών των ανέδειξε : Σημαντική συσχέτιση της μαστογραφικής απεικόνισης με το μέγεθος των ογκόμορφων αλλοιώσεων (p=0.01<0.05). Σημαντική συσχέτιση με το βαθμό διαφοροποιήσεως της κακοήθειας (p=0.005<0.05). Σημαντική συσχέτιση με την έκφραση των πρωτεϊνών p53 (p=0.015) και Ki -67( p=0.02). Δεν παρατηρήθηκε σημαντική συσχέτιση της απεικόνισης των ογκόμορφων αλλοιώσεων με την ηλικία των ασθενών (p=0.08>0.05), με την ανίχνευση πυρηνικής θετικότητας για τους οιστρογονικούς (ER) και τους προγεστερονικούς(PR) υποδοχείς (p =0.4>0.05) καθώς και με τις πρωτεΐνες HER-2. και KATH D. Επίσης παρατηρήθηκε οριακή συσχέτιση στην απεικόνιση των κακοήθων ογκόμορφων αλλοιώσεων και των λεμφαδένων. Συμπερασματικά βρήκαμε ότι η κατηγορία Β με τις αστεροειδείς ογκόμορφες αλλοιώσεις είχε ευνοϊκότερη επίδραση από τ η κατηγορία Α με τις άτονες με ασαφή ή εν μέρει ασαφή όρια και με τις ογκομορφές αλλοιώσεις και αποτιτανώσεις (κατηγορία Γ). Οι άτονες με ασαφή ή με εν μέρει ασαφή όρια κακοήθεις ογκόμορφες αλλοιώσεις(κατηγορία Α) σχετίζονται με χαμηλής διαφοροποίηση κακοήθεια (grade 3) με υπερέκφραση του p53 και Ki -67 και με αρνητικούς υποδοχείς (PR και ER). Οι όγκοι αυτοί είναι μεγάλοι όγκοι με ίδια πολλές φορές μαστογραφική απεικόνιση με εκείνη των καλοηθών ογκόμορφων αλλοιώσεων. / At the beginning of 80 a new era for the Mammography and the breast cancer started with the use of the technique "low dose Mammography", with the correct information of women for the prevention of the breast cancer and the application of mass screening in asymptomatic women, with the result to increase the number of palpable and no- palpable breast cancers diagnosed in early stages (0,I,II,IIIA etr) with better prognosis and therapy. Previous clinical studies have attempted to correlate the radiological with the histological characteristics of breast cancer but did not succeed to show significant differences as for us the histological and biological characteristics among the symptomatic and the mammographically localized non- palpable breast cancers. Furthermore, many investigators see to conclude that the best prognostic characteristics of breast cancers that are identified with the preventive mammography are directly or indirectly related by the effect of biological factors. The aim of the present study is to mark out indicators that are related with the mammographic appearance of malignant palpable and no- palpable lesions and the aggressiveness of disease. In total five hundred seventy four palpable and no- palpable breast lesions have been studied in five hundred seventy patients that were localized during the mammographic screening in our department, between 1994 to 2004. All the patients were subjered to line needle biopsy (FNA) or mammographically guided open surgical biopsy. Histological examination showed 410/574 (71.4%) malignant lesions and 164/574 (28.5%) benign lesions. Immunohistochemistry was performed in paraffin sections in 390 of 410 malignant lesions using a variety of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against the following proteins ER,PR, P53, HER-2, Ki67and KATH D. The malignant lesions were classified from their mammographic appearance (according to Breast Imaging Reporting and Dada System BI RADS) in three categories: category A (lesions with poorly defined or partially poorly defined margins)were 36%, category B (speculated malignant lesions) were 44.8% and category C (lesions wih calcifications) were 18.2% of all malignant lesions. The analysis of our results between the mammographic appearance of the malignant lesions and their histological and biological characteristic showed the following: 1) Significant correlation existed between the mammographic appearance and the size of the lesions (p=0.01<0.05). 2) Significant correlation existed with the degree of differentiaton of malignancy (p=0.005<0.05). 3) Significant correlation existed with over expression of proteins P53 (p=0.015). and Ki- 67 (p=0.02). No significant correlation was observed between the appearance of lesins with the age of the patients (p=0.08>0.05), with the detection of nuclear positivity of the estrogens (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors (p=0.4>0.05) and also with the proteins HER-2 and KATH D. Furthermore a bode line correlation was observed between the appearance of the malignant lesions and lymph notes. In summary, it was found that the category B patients with the speculated lesions had a more favorable effect than category A with the poorly defined or partially poorly defined limits, and the category C lesions with calcifications. The poorly defined or partially poorly defined limits malignant lesions (category A) are related with low grade malignancy (grade 3, with over expression of P53 and Ki-67 and with negative receptors (PR and ER). These are large size lesions and are difficulty diagnosed from benign lesions.

H θεραπεία της χρόνιας ηπατίτιδας C παραμένει πρόκληση ,ιδιαίτερα για κάποιους ασθενείς ,μια και ποικίλοι παράγοντες που αφορούν τόσο τον ιό όσο και τον ξενιστή σχετίζονται με χαμηλότερη ιολογική απάντηση στη θεραπεία .Ο γονότυπος τύπου 1 και το υψηλό ιϊκό φορτίο έναρξης είναι οι κύριοι ιϊκοί παράγοντες που σχετίζονται με χαμηλότερη ιολογική απάντηση στη θεραπεία ,ενώ για τον ασθενή οι παράγοντες που σχετίζονται με χαμηλότερη ιολογική απάντηση στη θεραπεία είναι η μη ανταπόκριση ή η υποτροπή σε προηγούμενη θεραπεία ,η παρουσία κίρρωσης ,η Αφροαμερικανική καταγωγή, η μεγαλύτερη των 40 ετών ηλικία, η μη συμμόρφωση στη θεραπεία και η παχυσαρκία. Τα οβάλ ηπατοκύτταρα είναι πρόδρομα ηπατικά κύτταρα που έχουν συσχετισθεί με την εξέλιξη της ηπατικής νόσου και την ανάπτυξη ηπατοκυτταρικού καρκινώματος σε πειραματικά μοντέλα .Πρόσφατα έχουμε αποδείξει ότι σε περιπτώσεις χρόνιας ηπατίτιδας τύπου Β ή C η παρουσία πρόδρομων ηπατικών κυττάρων σχετίζεται με τη σοβαρότητα της νόσου το βαθμό ίνωσης και το σχετιζόμενο κίνδυνο ανάπτυξης ηπατοκυτταρικού καρκινώματος Αυτή η μελέτη προσπάθησε να εντοπίσει τους παράγοντες που παίζουν καθοριστικό ρόλο στην μακροχρόνια ανταπόκριση στη θεραπεία ασθενών με χρόνια ηπατίτιδα C καθώς και τον ρόλο που μπορεί να έχει σε αυτή τη διαδικασία η ύπαρξη πρόγονων ηπατικών κυττάρων . Στόχος του έργου είναι η διερεύνηση ποικίλων κλινικών γενετικών εργαστηριακών και ιστολογικών παραμέτρων οι οποίες σχετίζονται με τη θεραπεία σε ασθενείς με χρόνια HCV λοίμωξη. Δευτερογενής στόχος της μελέτης είναι ο καθορισμός ομάδων υψηλού κινδύνου για την ανάπτυξη κίρρωσης και ηπατοκυτταρικού καρκίνου. ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΜΟΣ 135 ενήλικες ασθενείς με θετική PCR και με βιοψία ήπατος που πιστοποιούσε χρόνια ηπατίτιδα εισήχθησαν στη μελέτη και τυχαιοποιήθηκαν να λάβουν είτε μονοθεραπεία με 3 MU ιντερφερόνης a2b τρεις φορές την εβδομάδα για 24 εβδομάδες ή συνδιασμό με ιντερφερόνη ή ή πεγκυλιωμένη ιντερφερόνη a2a (40 KD) μία φορά την εβδομάδα και προσθήκη 1000ή1200 mg ριμπαβιρίνης για 24 ή 48 εβδομάδες ανάλογα τον γονότυπο .Όλοι οι ασθενείς παρακολουθούνταν για την ασφάλεια την αντοχή και την αποτελεσματικότητα στο τέλος της εβδομάδας 2, 4, 8 και κάθε 4 εβδομάδες κατά τη διάρκεια της θεραπείας . Μετά την ολοκλήρωση της θεραπείας οι ασθενείς παρακολουθούνταν στις εβδομάδες 4, 12, 24 . Το πρώιμο τελικό σημείο ήταν η απώλεια του μετρήσιμου RNA του ιού της ηπατίτιδας C (HCV- RNA < 100c/ml) την εβδομάδα 24 μετά το τέλος της θεραπείας . Για να μελετήσουμε τη συσχέτιση των πρόγονων ηπατικών κυττάρων με την ανταπόκριση στη θεραπεία μελετήθηκαν 77 ηπατικές βιοψίες από ισάριθμους ασθενείς με χρόνια ηπατίτιδα C. Σαν μάρτυρες χρησιμοποιήθηκαν 10 φυσιολογικές ηπατικές βιοψίες .29 ασθενείς που ανταποκρίθηκαν στη θεραπεία και είχαν αρνητική PCR στο τέλος της προκαθορισμένης περιόδου αποτέλεσαν την ομάδα (Α) .29 ασθενείς που δεν ανταποκρίθηκαν στη θεραπεία και είχαν θετική PCR στο τέλος της προκαθορισμένης περιόδου αποτέλεσαν την ομάδα (Β) και τέλος 19 ασθενείς που υποτροπίασαν μετά αρχική ανταπόκριση στη θεραπεία αποτέλεσαν την ομάδα (Γ).Εξετάσθηκαν τομές παραφίνης πάχους 4 μm και καταμετρήθηκαν τα κύτταρα με μορφολογία οβάλ ηπατοκυττάρων δηλαδή AFPmRNA(+) και πρωτεΐνες CK19 (+) CK7(+) LCA(-) KAI CD34(-) Τα αποτελέσματα εκφράστηκαν σε ποσοστό επί τις %για τα κύτταρα με τα αντίστοιχα μορφολογικά χαρακτηριστικά και συσχετίστηκαν με τις αντίστοιχες κλινικές παραμέτρους. Ηπατικά προγονικά κύτταρα παρουσιάστηκαν και στις 87 βιοψίες αν και ήταν σημαντικά λιγότερα στις βιοψίες ελέγχου. Σύμφωνα με την έκφραση AFPmRNA η επί της % έκφραση ήταν :Ομάδα Β 53.4+ 1.3 > Ομάδα Γ 49+1.8 > Ομάδα Α 30.7 + 1.9 Οι ασθενείς που έλαβαν ιντερφερόνη ανταποκρίθηκαν καλύτερα στη θεραπεία αν ήταν < 40 είχαν γονότυπος 3,ιστορικό IV Χρήσης ουσιών αρνητική PCR-HCV (-) στην εβδομάδα 24 μετά θεραπεία &είχαν απουσία κίρρωσης ενώ είχαν μικρότερη πιθανότητα ανταπόκρισης αν είχαν ηλικία >40 έτη γονότυπο 1 ιστορικό μετάγγισης, αυξημένη ALT ή παρουσία κίρρωσης. Οι ασθενείς που έλαβαν θεραπεία συνδιασμού είχαν ευνοϊκή πρόγνωση αν εμφάνιζαν γονότυπο 2 ή 3 και μη ευνοϊκή αν είχαν γονότυπο 1,4 παρουσία κίρρωσης& αυξημένη γGt . Οι αυξημένες τρανσαμινάσες δεν αποτελούσαν προγνωστικό δείκτη. Στους ασθενείς που έλαβαν θεραπεία με πεγκυλιωμενη ιντερφερονη η ηλικία ή η απουσία κίρρωσης δεν αποτελούσε ανεξάρτητο προγνωστικό παράγοντα αντίθετα με την παραμονή αυξημένης ALT & γGt στον 6ο μήνα θεραπείας Ανεξάρτητοι προγνωστικοί παράγοντες για οποιαδήποτε θεραπευτικό σχήμα ήταν η Ηλικία (< 40 ετών )και η απουσία κίρρωσης .Οι ασθενείς με Φυσιολογικές τρανσαμινάσες αποτελούσαν το 40% των ασθενών μας στη δική μας μελέτη φάνηκε ότι ανταποκρίνονται καλύτερα στη θεραπεία και Σε μικρότερο ποσοστό εμφανίζουν κίρρωση ( 7% ) ενώ οι ασθενείς με κίρρωση Ανταποκρίνονται λιγότερο καλά σε όλες τις θεραπείες εμφανίζουν μεγαλύτερη διάρκεια λοίμωξης,λιπώδες ήπαρ σε μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό (64%) Έχουν αυξημένα ποσοστά ALT-γGt. Ενώ η παρουσία κίρρωσης είναι ανεξάρτητη από τον γονότυπο Τα ΠΗΚ υπάρχουν συχνά σε βιοψίες ήπατος ασθενών με ΧΗC και εκφράζουν AFPmRNA Υπάρχει σημαντική συσχέτιση με τη σοβαρότητα της νόσου και την ανταπόκριση στη θεραπεία Τα ΠΗΚ μπορεί να αποτελέσουν ανεξάρτητο προγνωστικό παράγοντα για την ανταπόκριση στη θεραπεία σε ασθενείς με χρόνια ηπατίτιδα C. / The treatment of chronic hepatitis C remains a challenge, particularly for certain patients as several virus related and patient related factors are associated with a lower virologic response to therapy. Hepatitis C virus genotype 1and a high baseline viral load are the major viral factors associated with a lower virologic response to therapy .Patient –related factors include previous relapse or non response to treatment, the presence of cirrhosis, the African America ethnicity, older age, contraindications to treatment and obesity. Oval hepatocytes (HK) are liver stem cells which are involved in the progress of liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma development in experimental models. We have previously shown that in case of chronic hepatitis type B or C the presence of OH is related to the severity of the disease, the grade of fibrosis and the relative risk for HCG development. This study try to determine the factors effect the long term suppression of hepatitis C virus and also investigate the correlation of OH expression with treatment response in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Design 135 patients aged 18 years or more with positive HCV RNA and liver biopsy, were enrolled and randomly allocated to one of three regimens: 3mega units (MU) interferon a2btree times a week for 24 weeks, 3mega units (MU) interferon a2b tree times a week, plus 1000-12000 mg ribavirine per day for 24 weeks or 48 weeks or peg interferon alfa-2a (40KD) plus ribavirine 1000 or 1200 per day for 24 or 48 weeks because of different genotype. All patients were assessed for safety, tolerance and efficacy and the end of weeks 2, 4, 8and every 4 weeks during treatment. After treatment was completed patients were followed up on weeks 4, 12 and 24.The primary endpoint was loss of detectable HCV-RNA (serum HCV-RNA <100 copies/ml) at week 24 after treatment. The study comprised 77 liver biopsies obtained to an equal number of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. To investigate the correlation of OH expression with treatment response ten normal liver biopsy were used as control. Twenty nine patients were assigned as responders (group A) 29 as non responders (group B) and 19 as releasers (group C). Paraffin sections (4μm thick) were subjected. To OH expretion . Cells with morphologic features of OH that were AFPmRNA or protein +/CK19+/CK7+ and LCA (-) /CD 34(-) were scored. Results were expressed as% of positive cells following morphometric analysis and correlated with the clinical parameters. Findings Sustained virological response at 24 weeks after treatment was found in 18( 22% ) of the 88 patient treated for 24 weeks with 3mega units (MU) interferon a2b three times a week ,35 ( 47%) of the 74 patient treated with the combination regiment, and 28 (60% ) of the 47 treated with peg interferon alfa-2a (40KD) plus ribavirine. Logistic recreation identified five independent factors significantly associated with response to treatment with interferon: genotype 2 or 3 , age forty years or less, minimal fibrosis stage, Ivd users , PCR negative at 6 months. Tree factors associated with the response to combination therapy: genotype 2 or 3, no cirrhosis, and high γgt the only factors significantly associated with response with the pegylated interferon treatment is high levels of γgt and alt to the sixth month of treatment. Oval hepatocyte expression was present in all 87 specimens, being significantly lower in controls compared with cases of chronic hepatitis C. According to the AFPmRNA expression, the grade for % OH expression was: (group B) non responders: 53.4+- 1.3> (Group C ) relapses :49+_1.8>(group A) responders30.7 +_1.9The difference was recorded as follows>(group A) vs. Bp<0.01, group A vs. C p<0.01, group B vs. C p<0.05. Conclusions This study demonstrates that OH are frequently present and expresses AFPmRNA in liver biopsies of patients with chronic hepatitis C. There is a significant association with the severity of disease and with response to treatment and may provide additional prognostic information and predict prognosis in cases of chronic hepatitis c. Age forty years or less and the presence of cirrhosis or no, they are independent factors significantly associated with response to any treatment. Patient with persistently normal or almost normal transaminase levels have higher virological response to therapy and less frequently cirrhosis Patient with cirrhosis exhibit lower response rates to therapy. The presents of cirrhosis is not related to genotype . Patients have frequently high levels of alt and γgt before and six months after therapy and have a worse virological response to any therapy.

Introduction: Breast cancer still remains the most common malignancy in women and its incidence is slowly increasing. A marked reduction of mortality has been achieved in the last 10 years thanks to modern diagnostic methods, mammary screening, and comprehensive and targeted cancer therapy. Modern diagnostic capabilities not only allow early diagnosis of a primary tumor lesion and precise determination of its biological nature before commencing treatment, but they also enable early diagnosis of local and regional recidives, including diagnosis of metastases in distant organs. In addition to clinical examination, conventional and complementary imaging examinations and tumor markers our objective was to determine the importance and use of growth factors in relation to the overall prognosis. The growth factors physiologically act already during the ontogenetic period when they control cell growth, proliferation, differentiation and apoptotic processes. It is known that they take part in the tumor growth processes which are characterized by autonomous behavior, increased proliferative activity, distinct differentiation activity and reduced apoptosis. Growth factors work as autoregulation factors in the neoplastic process as well as through their paracrine effects mediated by more or less specific receptors....