A retrospective study on demographics of gastric carcinoma was conducted in Hospital Pulau Pinang (HPP) with the aim of comparing it to a previous study done in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan. The incidence of gastric carcinoma was much higher in Penang compared to Kelantan. It was commonest in males and Chinese. The incidence and site of gastric carcinoma closely parallels Helicobacter pylori infection rates. This was evidenced by the higher incidence and non-cardia location of gastric carcinomas in an area with higher H. pylori infection rates (HPP) compared to a much lower incidence and preponderance of cardia tumours in HUSM where the H. pylori infection rate is exceptionally low.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality and morbidity among women worldwide and IDC (infiltrating ductal carcinoma) is the most common type of invasive breast cancer. The changes in the biological behaviour of cancer tissue can be predicted by measuring the differential protein expression of normal and cancerous tissues. Using a combination of SDS/PAGE and LC (liquid chromatography)-MS/MS (tandem MS), we identified 82 common and differentially expressed proteins from normal and cancerous breast tissues in 20 Malaysian Chinese patients with IDC. These proteins are extracted from the normal and cancerous tissue of patients and therefore represent the actual proteins involved in cancer development. Proteins identified possibly have significant roles in the development of breast cancer in Malaysian Chinese patients in view of their consistent expression in most of the patients, although some of the proteins had not been detected in earlier studies that were mostly carried out in Western countries. This observation suggests that molecular mechanisms leading to breast cancer development in this region may not be identical with those leading to IDC in Western regions.
A 4-year-old boy presented with metastases in the spermatic cord and ribs 2 years after treatment for a primary medulloblastoma (MB). The testis was free of tumor. A MB presenting with a metastasis to the spermatic cord has not been reported to date. The role of a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt in promoting such spread should be considered in planning management.