Case of solitary pulmonary capillary hemangioma: Pathological features based on frozen section analysis

Solitary pulmonary capillary hemangioma (SPCH) is a rare benign lung tumor that must be distinguished from small and early lung cancers. Here, we report a case of SPCH for which we performed frozen section diagnosis. The patient was a 55‐year‐old Japanese woman. Five years before the operation, mixed ground‐glass opacity was detected by computed tomography in the left posterior basal segment of the lower lobe (S10). Because the interior tumor density of the ground‐glass opacity increased slightly, video‐assisted thoracic surgery wedge resection was performed. Frozen section diagnosis revealed a benign tumor without proliferation of atypical epithelial cells. The tumor had narrow alveolar lumens, thickened alveolar septa and a clear boundary separating it from normal lung tissue. The proliferated lumens varied in size and were lined with single layers of flat cells. After the operation, immunohistochemical staining of a paraffin section revealed that the thickened alveolar septa resulted from the proliferation of capillary vessels, the flat cells of which were positive for CD31 and CD34 and negative for podoplanin; the tumor was diagnosed as SPCH. Here, we discuss the pathological features of SPCH on frozen sections with reference to this case and review previous related reports.     

Ependymosarcoma with eosinophilic granular cells

Ependymosarcoma is a new entity of malignant gliomas composed of ependymal and sarcomatous components. We report a rare case of ependymosarcoma with eosinophlic cells which occurred to the right trigon of the lateral ventricle. A 62‐year‐old man complained of headaches over a 2‐month period. A hard, gray mass was found in the right trigon of the lateral ventricle during the operation. Although he received radiation and chemotherapy, the patient died due to tumor disseminating through the whole brain within 7 months after the operation. The histological examination revealed that the anaplastic glial components intermingled with the sarcomatous components. Immunohistochemically, sarcomatous cells were positive for α smooth muscle actin and desmin. However, anaplastic glial cells were not positive for these markers. In addition, Masson trichrome stain showed a plethora of collagen fibers between sarcomatous cells, but no collagen fibers were produced by the glial tumor cells. Solid focal papillary lesions of the glial tumor showed dot‐like epithelial membrane antigen and diffuse cytoplasmic D2‐40 immunoreactivity. Based on the above findings, these anaplastic glial tumor cells should show focal ependymal differentiation, and sarcomatous cells show myofibroblastic differentiation. In addition, almost 10% of the tumor cells in the neoplasm showed bright eosinophilic granules in the cytoplasm. These cytoplasmic eosinophilic granules and bundles were negative on PAS staining. Intracytoplasmic eosinophilic granules of tumor cells were strongly positive for αB‐crystallin, HSP 27 and GFAP, respectively. These findings suggest that the clinicopathological characteristics of the present case should be consistent with the criterion of ependymosarcoma by Rodriguez et al.     

膀胱癌组织VEGF-C表达与淋巴管生成和淋巴结转移之间关系的研究

目的：应用特异的淋巴管内皮标志物podoplanin检测膀胱移行细胞癌（BTCC）组织中淋巴管，用淋巴管密度（LVD）表示淋巴管生成情况，探讨BTCC内VEGF-C表达与淋巴管生成和淋巴结转移的关系。方法：收集45例BTCC和10例正常膀胱组织标本，应用免疫组化检测VEGF-C、podoplanin的表达，计算VEGF-C阳性表达率及淋巴管密度值，分析两者的关系。结果：BTCC组织内VEGF-C阳性表达率显著高于正常膀胱组织（71．1％vs．10．0％，P〈0．01）；BTCC高中分化和低分化之间VEGF-C阳性表达率无显著性差异（70．6％US．72．7％，P〉0．05），而淋巴结阳性组显著高于淋巴结阴性组（81．3％vs．65．5％，P〈0．05）.BTCC组织内LVD显著高于正常膀胱组织（6．8±1．3vs．1．2±0．3，P〈0．01）；BTCC中，VEGF-C阳性组LVD显著高于VEGF-C阴性组（7．6±1．5vs．4．7±0．9，P〈0．05），而淋巴结阳性组显著高于淋巴结阴性组（8．3±1．4vs．5．1±1．1，P〈0．05）。结论：淋巴管生成可能是BTCC淋巴结转移的重要因素，VEGF-C参与BTCC淋巴管生成，从而促进淋巴结转移。     

Podoplanin expression in human tooth germ tissues and cystic odontogenic lesions: an immunohistochemical study

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39 : 115–120
Background:  Podoplanin expression was described in mouse tooth germ and apical bud cells. The aim of this study was to analyse the podoplanin expression of human tooth germ tissues, adult teeth and odontogenic lesions immunohistochemically.
Study Design:  Nine human tooth germ biopsies and seven healthy permanent teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons were examined. Anti-podoplanin (D2-40) reactivity was investigated immunohistochemically. Five well-defined cystic odontogenic lesions (10 radicular cysts, 10 follicular cysts, three keratocystic odontogenic tumours, five ameloblastomas, and two adenomatoid odontogenic tumours) were analysed simultaneously.
Results:  Podoplanin expression was detected in the majority of epithelial and ecto-mesenchymal cells of human tooth germ tissues, odontoblasts and superficial dental pulp fibroblasts of permanent teeth. Cystic odontogenic lesions revealed positive reactions predominantly at the invasion front edge within basal epithelial layers.
Conclusion:  Podoplanin appears to be involved in the orthologic and pathologic processes of the formation of elongated cell extensions and odontoblastic fibers, in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and local invasion during tooth germ development as well as in both reactive and neoplastic odontogenic cystic lesions.     

Antibody and lectin target podoplanin to inhibit oral squamous carcinoma cell migration and viability by distinct mechanisms

Podoplanin (PDPN) is a unique transmembrane receptor that promotes tumor cell motility. Indeed, PDPN may serve as a chemotherapeutic target for primary and metastatic cancer cells, particularly oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells that cause most oral cancers. Here, we studied how a monoclonal antibody (NZ-1) and lectin (MASL) that target PDPN affect human OSCC cell motility and viability. Both reagents inhibited the migration of PDPN expressing OSCC cells at nanomolar concentrations before inhibiting cell viability at micromolar concentrations. In addition, both reagents induced mitochondrial membrane permeability transition to kill OSCC cells that express PDPN by caspase independent nonapoptotic necrosis. Furthermore, MASL displayed a surprisingly robust ability to target PDPN on OSCC cells within minutes of exposure, and significantly inhibited human OSCC dissemination in zebrafish embryos. Moreover, we report that human OSCC cells formed tumors that expressed PDPN in mice, and induced PDPN expression in infiltrating host murine cancer associated fibroblasts. Taken together, these data suggest that antibodies and lectins may be utilized to combat OSCC and other cancers that express PDPN.