, Kang-Sup Shim, Sung-Sook Kim, Heasoo Koo, Eung-Bum Park Apoptosis is a specific mode of cell death recognized by a characteristic pattern of morphological, biochemical, and molecular changes, There are several methods of detection of apoptosis. Morphological changes involve a characteristic pattern of chromation and cytoplasm. The landmark of apoptosis is endonucleolysis, with nuclear DNA initially degraded at the linker sections to fragments equivalent to single and multiple nucleosomes. Detection of DNA fragments is situ using the terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase(TDT)-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay is increasingly applied to investigate apoptosis. We studied the detection method of apoptosis morphologically and by using TUNEL assay and examined the correlation of p53 expression and apoptosis.
Forty-five cases of colorectal cancer were selected. The number of apoptotic bodies was expressed as a number per 100 cancer cells. The TUNEL assay was performed with in situ Apoptag kit®.
The mean number of the apoptotic bodies was 2.28 in the patients who survived over 5 years after curative resection and 3.55 in the patients who died within 5 years(p=0.001). There was a relationship between the number of apoptotic bodies which were measured by morphologic study and the results which were measured by TUNEL assay. There was no relationship between p53 expression and apoptosis.
These results suggest that the frequency of apoptotic bodies may be a prognostic factor for colorectal cancer and apoptosis could be measured by morphological study without special study.
, Ki Nam Shim, Sun Hee Roh, Min Jin Lee, Hye In Kim, Seung Jung Jun, Da Yeon Oh, Sung Chul Hong, Jae In Ryu, Kwang-Ho Kim A gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal tract and expresses CD117, a c-kit proto-oncogene, which can be detected immunohistochemically. We reported a GIST of the rectum of a 61-year-old-woman who had visited emergency room complaining of constipation over one week. Upon rectal examination, a round hard mass was palpated. Colonoscopy showed a 7×5 cm sized protruded lesion with surface ulceration on a rectum, adjacent the anus. And abdomen computed tomography revealed the soft tissue mass compressing anterolateral wall of the rectum and these findings suggest possibility of rectal submucosal tumor such as GIST. The patient had been treated with a ultra anorectal anastomosis with loop ileostomy. Immunohistochemical studies on the surgically resected specimen showed c-kit (+) and CD34 (+). The final diagnosis was a GIST of the rectum. She was grouped into high risk and she has been given adjuvant chemotherapy with Imatinib.
First
Prev
