Immunohistochemical expression of the ERG gene in prostatic adenocarcinoma and its relationship with clinicopathological parameters

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to determine the immunohistochemical expression of the ERG gene in prostatic adenocarcinoma and to evaluate the relationships between ERG expression and clinicopathological parameters.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Pathology department of a tertiary hospital.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The prostatectomy materials of 122 patients diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma between 2004 and 2017 in Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology were included in the study.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Clinical data were obtained from patient files and macroscopic data were obtained from surgery and pathology reports. ERG expression, age, prostate-specific antigen levels, Gleason pattern and score, Gleason grade, and pathological stage were recorded.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 62.66 ± 5.81 years and overall preoperative PSA was 10.40 ± 8.88 ng/ml. ERG was positive in 52.46% of the patients. PSA levels were similar in ERG positive and negative samples (p = 0.935). There was no significant relationship between Gleason score and ERG positivity (p = 0.197). ERG expression did not change with regard to age groups (p = 0.441) or tumour stage (p = 0.371).

CONCLUSION

This study shows that the frequency of ERG positivity was high in our patients and that ERG positivity was not associated with clinical and pathological features, such as PSA levels, Gleason score, age and pathological stage.

A peculiar Factor VIII-related antigen staining of an oxyphilic cell nodule within an intrathyroidal parathyroid adenoma

A case of intrathyroidal parathyroid adenoma, which was found in the lower portion of the right thyroid lobe, is presented. The nodule in this lesion was composed of oxyphilic cells. In order to verify a possible vascular invasion, immunohistochemical study with Factor VIII-related antigen/von Willebrand factor, which is known to be synthesized by the endothelial cells and stored in Weibel-Palade bodies, and ulex europaeus lectin 1 were applied. It was interesting to find positivity for Factor VIII-related antigen and ulex europaeus lectin I strictly confined in the nodule of oxyphil cells, which are known to have large numbers of mitochondria. This led to investigating similar immunoreactions in different lesions of oxyphilic cells with several other markers. The possible cross-reaction between Weibel-Palade bodies and mitochondria deserves further detailed research.

Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of WHO and Gleason histologic grading systems in prostatic adenocarcinomas

In this study a total of 96 patients with prostatic carcinoma were evaluated retrospectively. Sections prepared from paraffin blocks were examined and all cases were scored according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gleason grading systems. We investigated intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of two grading systems in prostatic adenocarcinomas. In our study the intraobserver reproducibilities of the WHO and Gleason systems were 75.0% and 78.1%, respectively. The interobserver reproducibilities of the WHO and Gleason grading systems were 60.4% and 70.8%, respectively. While there was no difference between intraobserver and interobserver variations in the Gleason system (p > 0.05), there was significant difference between intraobserver and interobserver variations in the WHO system (p < 0.05).