Degree Of Pleomorphism Research Articles

Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma: clinicopathologic. A study of 42 cases.

Forty-two cases of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma were reviewed clinicopathologically. Twenty-four patients were men, and 18 women; average age was 56.2 years (range, 30-81 years). Eight, 9, 13, and 12 cases were Stages I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Three morphologic patterns of sarcomatoid components were identified: malignant fibrous histiocytomatous (26 cases), fibrosarcomatous (6 cases), and unclassified sarcomatoid (10 cases). Mitotic count, degree of pleomorphism, cellularity, and amount of tumor matrix in the sarcomatoid areas, and similar morphologic parameters in the carcinomatous component all failed to correlate with prognosis, as did tumor size and renal vein involvement by tumor. Clinicopathologic stage was a most significant prognostic factor, with a survival of 49.7 months for Stage I and 6.8 months for combined Stages II, III, and IV. Tumor necrosis in the sarcomatoid area and proportion of sarcomatoid components were also poor prognostic factors. When these factors were compared to the stage, necrosis was an independent variable, however, proportion of sarcomatoid components was a poor prognostic indicator only for Stages I and II.

Primary lymphoma of bone: the relationship of morphologic diversity to clinical behavior.

Since primary lymphoma of bone (PLB) exhibits morphologic diversity and variability in individual survival, we analyzed the relationship between histopathologic features and biological behavior in 33 patients treated at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Three major histologic subgroups were identified, based on a variety of criteria, the most important of which were the predominance of cells with or without nuclear clefts and the degree of pleomorphism. The probability of NED survival at five years was 64% for patients with tumor predominantly composed of cleaved cells, 13% for those with tumors classified in the noncleaved cell tumor group, and 0% (no survivors) for the pleomorphic subgroup. When tumors were subclassified according to the size of the predominant cell (small versus large), this parameter was found to be of no value in preceding NED survival. Factors that could have potentially influenced the results were analyzed. Since this is a retrospective review, the questions addressed in this study should be further studied in a prospective way.

Histologic prognostic indicators in hepatocellular carcinoma

Survival and histologic features were studied in 80 patients with proven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The overall survival was 50% at 3.5 weeks with a statistically significant drop in mortality rate after 8.5 weeks. Patients with diffuse clear-cell pattern, focal clear-cell pattern, and no clear cells in their tumors had a 50% survival rate at 14 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 weeks respectively; the differences in survival rates were statistically significant between any pair (p less than 0.001). No correlation was found between survival and (1) cytologic differentiation, (2) histologic architecture, (3) degree of pleomorphism, or (4) presence of bile production, proteinaceous secretion, giant cells, or cytoplasmic hyaline bodies. Eosinophilic HCC with lamellar fibrosis was not observed in any of our materials. We concluded that the presence of clear cells was the only histologic feature of prognostic significance in our patients.

Infectivity and virulence of Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) brucei for mice : IV. Dissociation of virulence and variable antigen type in relation to pleomorphism

Previous observations have indicated the possibility that the virulence of a trypanosome is closely associated with its variable antigen type. A set of clone populations has now been examined, all of which bear the same variable antigen. The clones isolated close to the point of isolation were found to be of moderate virulence to mice, whereas those isolated from the same stock following repeated passage were of extreme virulence. Virulence and variable antigen type need not, therefore, necessarily be associated and would appear to depend on the degree of pleomorphism. The degree of virulence exhibited by the clones was found not to be determined by their apparent rate of growth from inoculation to first patency.