Carcinoma of the biliary tract is a rare complication of choledochal cysts. Furthermore, the greater predisposition of the cyst wall to neoplastic change has been cited as additional justification for cyst excision rather than on-site internal drainage as the primary choice of operation. The report concerns a patient who developed cholangiocarcinoma despite excision of a choledochal cyst and presented with symptoms of biliary obstruction within one year of the operation. Although this is a rare complication, the need for careful long-term follow-up is supported by this observation.
This study evaluates the usefulness of a combined cytological and histological approach to the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) when applied to fine needle biopsy specimens obtained under ultrasonic guidance. The material, aspirated from 51 focal liver lesions, was handled in such a way that there was sufficient material for both cytological and histological (cell block) assessment. Of the 29 cases of HCC studied, a confident cytological diagnosis was made in 23 (79%). In the remaining six cases, the cytological features were considered to be suspicious but not diagnostic of HCC. Examination of cell blocks in the six cases enabled a confident diagnosis of HCC to be made in all cases. This was due to the supplementary visual information provided by the histological features, particularly the pattern of arrangement of the tumour cells.
Problem statement: Clinicanthus nutans has been used by Malaysian since long time ago. It is used to treat many diseases including cancer. Many studies carried out on its crude extract but no clear report on the specific secondary metabolites responsible for its nature in treating selected diseases. Objective: This study aims to confirm the practice carried out by many people on the usage of Clinicanthus nutans in treating cancer. Methods: C. nutans leaves were extracted by methanol. Thin layer chromatography was used to identify the suitable solvent for fractions separation. The fractions were then separated at larger volume using gravity column chromatography. Each fraction was tested on its anti-proliferative activity on Hep-G2 liver cancer cells by MTT assay. The phytochemical screening was carried out to identify the bioactive compound based on qualitative analysis. Results: The fraction 2 (F2) of C. nutans showed the lowest IC50 value of 1.73 μg/ml against Hep-G2 cancer cells, and it is identified as triterpenes. Conclusion: The fraction F2 identified as triterpenes isolated from C. nutans has potential as an anti-proliferative agent against liver cancer.