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p16INK4a, laminin-5gamma2 chain, and PCNA were investigated to compare the expression levels in relation to histological diagnosis and time for progression. The material consisted of 37 normal cervical tissues, 35 with different grades of CIN, and 11 invasive cervical cancers. Our results showed a reduction of basement membrane staining for laminin-5gamma2 chain from 78.4% in normal squamous epithelium to 27.8% in CIN3 (p < 0.001). The intracytoplasmic staining for laminin-5gamma2 chain increases with severity of lesion. The same trend was observed with p16INK4a and PCNA expression (p < 0.001). Co-expression of p16INK4a and PCNA was seen in 85.7% of samples. Cases that were laminin-5gamma2 chain BM - /p16INK4a+/PCNA+ have the shortest interval time (average: 46.8+/-36.3 months) for progression, while cases with laminin-5gamma2 chain BM + /p16INK4a-/PCNAPCNA--have the longest time interval (average: 110.2+/-52.7 months) (p < 0.05). Thus co-expression of p16INK4a, laminin-5gamma2 chain and PCNA may be valuable for the prediction progression of cervical neoplasia.

Thirty-three patients with prostatic carcinoma were treated with either estramustine phosphate, orchidectomy or high dose medroxyprogesterone acetate. Therapy response was evaluated by cytological examination of fine needle aspiration biopsies performed before and after 6 weeks treatment. At follow-up, 11 of 14 patients treated with estramustine phosphate had regressive and/or degenerative changes, in 2 patients there were no prostatic carcinoma cells in the smears and in one there was a marked reduction of the number of tumour cells. In 7 of 10 patients treated with orchidectomy there was a marked reduction of the percentage of malignant cells while smears from 3 patients were unchanged. In the 8 patients treated with high dose medroxyprogesterone acetate the cell patterns were unmodified compared with before treatment. We conclude that, in contrast to the lack of effect of treatment with medroxyprogesterone acetate, treatment with orchidectomy and especially estramustine phosphate caused morphologic cellular changes in prostatic carcinoma.

In order to study changes in incidence, survival and mortality of prostate cancer in relation to morphological grade, we analysed all incident cases of prostate cancer in Northern Sweden during three 2-year periods (1974-1975, 1980-1981 and 1986-1987). The age-adjusted incidence increased by 35% from 1974-1975 to 1986-1987, but there was only a minor increase in the mortality rates. The increase in incidence was mainly due to well-differentiated (G1) and moderately differentiated (G2) tumours, whereas the incidence of poorly differentiated (G3) tumours remained stable. The 5-year relative survival rate increased significantly from 1974-1975 to 1986-1987. The relative survival rate for each tumour grade was, however, almost stable over the studied time period. After adjustment for tumour grade the differences in relative survival rate diminished. We believe that the most likely explanation for these changes in incidence, survival and mortality is enhanced detection of tumours with more favourable histology as a result of a more frequent use of the diagnostic tools available.

The prognostic value of DNA analysis was studied retrospectively in 91 patients with locally advanced breast cancer (T3, T4) and a follow-up time of 3-7 years. Tumor cell DNA analysis was performed by static cytometry on aspiration biopsy specimens in 42 cases and on tissue sections in 49 cases. The tumors were classified as euploid or aneuploid. Sixty-four percent of the tumors were aneuploid. DNA pattern correlated significantly to histologic grade and axillary perinodal growth and also to survival. DNA pattern, histologic grade and axillary node metastases correlated significantly to disease-free survival (DFS). In this series of patients with locally advanced breast cancer DNA determinations gave important prognostic information.