Immunohistochemical features of a papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the endometrium with transitional cell differentiation

An 84-year-old woman underwent hysterectomy due to a friable endometrial mass infiltrating almost half way through the myometrial wall. The tumor consisted of papillary structures with thin fibrovascular cores covered by several layers of pleomorphic cells. The deeply located neoplastic cells were ovoid with a pale eosinophilic cytoplasm resembling urothelial cells. A diagnosis of papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the endometrium with transitional cell differentiation was made. Although she recovered well after surgery, she died one year later because of disseminated disease. In an attempt to obtain new insights into the physiopathology of this very rare tumor, an immunohistochemical panel with 32 markers was performed. The neoplastic cells were positive for cytokeratin 5, vimentin, p63, p21, VEGF, Ki67, BAG1, and bcl-2. The expression of BAG-1 and bcl-2 may suggest that anti-apoptotic stimuli are preponderant in this neoplasm.

Cytostatic in vitro Effects of DTCM-Glutarimide on Bladder Carcinoma Cells

Bladder cancer is a common malignancy worldwide. Despite the increased use of cisplatin-based combination therapy, the outcomes for patients with advanced disease remain poor. Recently, altered activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway has been associated with reduced patient survival and advanced stage of bladder cancer, making its upstream or downstream components attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. In the present study, we showed that treatment with DTCM-glutaramide, a piperidine that targets PDK1, results in reduced proliferation, diminished cell migration and G1 arrest in 5637 and T24 bladder carcinoma cells. Conversely, no apoptosis, necrosis or autophagy were detected after treatment, suggesting that reduced cell numbers in vitro are a result of diminished proliferation rather than cell death. Furthermore previous exposure to 10 mu g/ml DTCM-glutarimide sensitized both cell lines to ionizing radiation. Although more studies are needed to corroborate our findings, our results indicate that PDK1 may be useful as a therapeutic target to prevent progression and abnormal tissue dissemination of urothelial carcinomas.