Asako Ito

Recently, breast cancer screening with mammography has been recommended for detection of early cancer. We have carried out mammography screening for women aged over 30 years at Kasugai City Medical Care Center over the last 3 years. Every examinee underwent physical examination by a surgeon and mammography, and those who had abnormal findings and were unsuitable for mammography underwent ultrasonography. Sixteen breast cancer patients with a detection rate of 0.51% were found by the screening. Eleven tumors were palpable, 14 were detected by mammography, and 15 were detected by ultrasonography. Eleven of the 16 cancers were found at an early stage (stage 0 or I) and 5 were treated by partial mastectomy. Fibroadenoma was found in 16 of 121 women who received further examinations. Thirteen of the fibroadenomas were detected by mammography and 7 of them were not palpable. In 8 cases, malignancy could not be completely ruled out. Forty-one patients considered to have benign lesions at the screening were further examined during the first half of the study period, and only one case of cancer was found. Therefore, we omitted the examinees with obviously benign lesions from further examination in the second half of this period. Consequently, the number of examinees who required further examination was markedly decreased without any decrease in the cancer detection rate. <BR>In conclusion, breast cancer screening with physical examination and mammography is excellent for detecting early cancer. Furthermore, the ultrasonography is useful for further observation of lesions found by screening, and in patients who are unsuitable for mammography. The use of mammography or ultrasonography for screening increases the number of patients who require further examination, increases the psychological burden on examinees and raises medical expenditure. But the keeping better quality of the screening can improve these drawbacks.

Recently, breast cancer screening with mammography has been recommended for detection of early cancer. We have carried out mammography screening for women aged over 30 years at Kasugai City Medical Care Center over the last 3 years. Every examinee underwent physical examination by a surgeon and mammography, and those who had abnormal findings and were unsuitable for mammography underwent ultrasonography. Sixteen breast cancer patients with a detection rate of 0.51% were found by the screening. Eleven tumors were palpable, 14 were detected by mammography, and 15 were detected by ultrasonography. Eleven of the 16 cancers were found at an early stage (stage 0 or I) and 5 were treated by partial mastectomy. Fibroadenoma was found in 16 of 121 women who received further examinations. Thirteen of the fibroadenomas were detected by mammography and 7 of them were not palpable. In 8 cases, malignancy could not be completely ruled out. Forty-one patients considered to have benign lesions at the screening were further examined during the first half of the study period, and only one case of cancer was found. Therefore, we omitted the examinees with obviously benign lesions from further examination in the second half of this period. Consequently, the number of examinees who required further examination was markedly decreased without any decrease in the cancer detection rate. <BR>In conclusion, breast cancer screening with physical examination and mammography is excellent for detecting early cancer. Furthermore, the ultrasonography is useful for further observation of lesions found by screening, and in patients who are unsuitable for mammography. The use of mammography or ultrasonography for screening increases the number of patients who require further examination, increases the psychological burden on examinees and raises medical expenditure. But the keeping better quality of the screening can improve these drawbacks.

The localization of Cu/Zn-and Mn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) in breast cancer tissue (12 papillotubular carcinomas, 21 solid-tubular carcinomas, 16 scirrhous carcinomas, 1 medullary carcinoma, 1 secreting carcinoma, 1 lobular carcinoma, 1 Paget's disease) was investigated via an immunohistochemical technique using antihuman Cu/Zn-and Mn-SOD antibodies in 10% formalin fixed-paraffin embedded thin sections. Both SODs stained strongly in the normal breast gland, but not clearly in many cancer tissues. Furthermore, Cu/Zn-SOD stained more strongly in well differentiated tubular carcinomas than in poorly differentiated tubular carcinomas. It tended to stain less in tumors which recurred or had a poor outcome, and in tumors with a diploid pattern on DNA flow cytometry. Mn-SOD staining was similar to that of Cu/Zn-SOD, but no significant differences among subgroups was found, since the incidence of positively staining tumors was too small in all groups. The intensity of SOD staining seems to change in relation to cell proliferation and differentiation in breast carcinoma, and may be a prognostic indicator, since SOD decreased in poorly differentiated carcinoma and in tumors which developed distant metastasis. Thus, the localization of SOD in breast cancer tissue can provide useful information for cancer treatment.

S-100 protein is detectable in various human tissues, though it was first recognized as a protein specific to nervous tissues. It consists of dimers composed of α(α) and β-subunit (β). We elucidated the localization and the concentration of α and β in thyroid tissues from various thyroid disorders, using highly purified anti-human a and anti-human β antibodies.<BR>The concentration of α in thyroid tissues from Basedow's disease, papillary carcinoma and follicular carcinoma was higher, and that from medullary carcinoma was lower than that from the normal thyroid tissues. The concentration of β in malignant thyroid tumors was higher than that in either benign thyroid tumor or Basedow's thyroid. These findings were also confirmed by the immunostainings. The ratio of α to β(α/β) in Basedow's disease was higher, but the ratio in medullary carcinoma was lower than that present in the normal thyroid.<BR>In conclusion, since the concentration and localization of α and β in thyroid tissues differed in various thyroid disorders, each subunit may have different functions in the thyroid. Namely, α may be related to the cell differentiation, proliferation, and hormonal secretion from follicular cells, and β may have a close relationship to the function of parafollicular cells. These data imply that the analysis of the concentration and localization of α and β particularly in various thyroid tumors is useful in diagnosing the characteristic features of various thyroid tumors.

S-100 protein is detectable in various human tissues, though it was first recognized as a protein specific to nervous tissues. It consists of dimers composed of α(α) and β-subunit (β). We elucidated the localization and the concentration of α and β in thyroid tissues from various thyroid disorders, using highly purified anti-human a and anti-human β antibodies.<BR>The concentration of α in thyroid tissues from Basedow's disease, papillary carcinoma and follicular carcinoma was higher, and that from medullary carcinoma was lower than that from the normal thyroid tissues. The concentration of β in malignant thyroid tumors was higher than that in either benign thyroid tumor or Basedow's thyroid. These findings were also confirmed by the immunostainings. The ratio of α to β(α/β) in Basedow's disease was higher, but the ratio in medullary carcinoma was lower than that present in the normal thyroid.<BR>In conclusion, since the concentration and localization of α and β in thyroid tissues differed in various thyroid disorders, each subunit may have different functions in the thyroid. Namely, α may be related to the cell differentiation, proliferation, and hormonal secretion from follicular cells, and β may have a close relationship to the function of parafollicular cells. These data imply that the analysis of the concentration and localization of α and β particularly in various thyroid tumors is useful in diagnosing the characteristic features of various thyroid tumors.

The intracellular localization of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), which is the rate limiting enzyme in catecholamine (CA) biosynthesis, and its activity in various adrenal and other neuroendocrine tumors was studied. TH was strongly localized in adrenal medulla, pheochromocytoma, and paraganglioma, but was scatteredly expressed in neuroblastoma. TH was not detected in adrenocortical tumors, ganglioneuroma, and other neuroendocrine tumors. Neuron specific enolase (NSE) was found in all neuroendocrine tumors, but Grimelius staining showed only the secreting granules of the tumor cells. TH activity was significantly high in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma as compared with that in normal adrenal gland, whereas TH activity was low in a neuroblastoma and was undetectable in other tumors. These findings indicate that TH correlates well with the biosynthetic function of CA in the tumor cell and, thus, both the immunostaining of TH and the measurement of its activity in adreno-medullary and related tumors may provide some information about the process of cell differentiation in these tumors.

The intracellular localization of Cu/Zn- and Mn-superoxide dismutases (SOD), which catalyze the dismutation of superoxide radicals (O-2(-)) to O-2 and H2O2, was studied in the thyroid tissue of various thyroid disorders by an immunohistochemical technique. The concentrations of both SODs in those tissues were measured also by a sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique. Copper/zinc-SOD in thyroid tissues were identified by immunocytochemical staining in most cases of papillary carcinoma and in some cases of other thyroid disorders. In normal follicular cells this enzyme is localized in the perinuclear cytoplasm, whereas in thyroid tumor or hyperplastic follicular cells it exists homogenously in cytoplasm. Manganese-SOD stained strongly in papillary carcinoma and papillary-growing cells in the thyroid tissue of adenoma and Graves' disease. The concentrations of Cu/Zn- and Mn-SOD in thyroid tumor tissues and hyperplastic follicular disorders were significantly higher than those in normal thyroid tissue when they were compared as a function of protein or deoxyribonucleic acid contents. The ratio of Mn-SOD to Cu/Zn-SOD was significantly higher only in papillary carcinoma, except for other thyroid disorders, as compared with that in the normal thyroid. In conclusion, SOD seems to be related to cell proliferation and differentiation in the thyroid follicular cell because Cu/Zn-SOD changes its localization in tumor and hyperplastic follicular cells. and because the Mn-SOD concentration is increased in papillary carcinoma or papillary-growing cells.