Clinicopathological and molecular features of genome-stable colorectal cancers.

Colorectal cancers (CRCs) are traditionally divided into those with either chromosomal instability (CIN) or microsatellite instability (MSI). By utilizing TCGA data, the Laird team found a subset of CRCs, namely, genome-stable CRCs (GS CRCs), which lack both CIN and MSI. Although the molecular features of GS CRCs have been described in detail, the clinicopathological features are not well defined. A total of 437 CRCs were analyzed for copy number variation (CNV) statuses in eight genes (ARID1A, EGFR, FGFR1, KDM5B, MYBL2, MYC, SALL4, and SETDB1) using droplet-digital PCR. CRCs that showed CNV in ≤ one gene and no MSI were defined as GS-like CRCs. Clinicopathological and molecular features of GS-like CRCs were compared with those of CIN-like CRCs. GS-like CRCs comprised 4.6% of CRCs and showed a predilection toward the proximal colon, lower nuclear optical density, KRAS mutation, PIK3CA mutation, and aberrant expression of KRT7. Survival analysis showed no significant difference between the three subgroups. Through our study, the GS-like subtype was found to comprise a minor proportion of CRCs and have proclivity toward a proximal bowel location, hypochromatic tumor nuclei, aberrant KRT7 expression, and a high frequency of KRAS and PIK3CA mutations.

Characteristics of chronic enteropathy associated with SLCO2A1 gene (CEAS) in children, a unique type of monogenic very early-onset inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND:  Chronic enteropathy associated with SLCO2A1 gene (CEAS) is a unique type of inflammatory bowel disease. CEAS is monogenic disease and is thought to develop from childhood, but studies on pediatric CEAS are scarce. We analyzed characteristics of pediatric CEAS. METHODS: Eleven patients diagnosed with CEAS at Seoul National University Children's Hospital were identified and analyzed. Clinical data of patients were collected. Sanger sequencing of SLCO2A1 was performed on all patients. RESULTS: Patients were diagnosed at a median age of 16.0 years (IQR 11.0 ~ 20.0), and the median age at symptoms onset was only 4.0 years (IQR 2.5 ~ 6.0). Growth delay was observed at the time of diagnosis. Patients showed multiple ulcers or strictures in the small intestine, while the esophagus and colon were unaffected in any patients. Almost half of the patients underwent small intestine resection. The major laboratory features of pediatric CEAS include iron deficiency anemia (IDA), hypoalbuminemia, and near-normal levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). Two novel mutations of SLCO2A1 were identified. The most prevalent symptoms were abdominal pain and pale face. None of the immunomodulatory drugs showed a significant effect on CEAS. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric CEAS typically develop from very young age, suggesting it as one type of monogenic very early onset inflammatory bowel disease. CEAS can cause growth delay in children but there is no effective treatment currently. We recommend screening for SLCO2A1 mutations to pediatric patients with chronic IDA from a young age and small intestine ulcers without elevation of CRP levels.

Concomitant expression patterns of CDX2 and SATB2 as prognostic factors in stage III colorectal cancers.

CDX2 and SATB2 are often used as biomarkers for identification of colorectal origin in primary or metastatic adenocarcinomas. Loss of CDX2 or SATB2 expression has been associated with poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, little is known regarding clinicopathological features, including prognosis, of CRCs with concomitant loss of CDX2 and SATB2. A total of 431 stage III CRCs were analyzed for their expression status in CDX2 and SATB2 using tissue microarray-based immunohistochemistry and expression status was correlated with clinicopathological variables, molecular alterations, and survival. CDX2-negative (CDX2-) CRCs and SATB2-negative (SATB2-) CRCs were found in 8.1 % and 17.2 % of CRCs, respectively, whereas both CDX2-negative and SATB2-negative (CDX2-/SATB2-) CRCs comprised 3.2 % of the CRCs. On survival analysis, neither CDX2-/SATB2+ nor CDX2+/SABT2- CRCs but CDX2-/SATB2- CRCs were associated with poor prognosis. CDX2-/SATB2- CRCs showed significant associations with tumor subsite of right colon, poor differentiation, decreased expression of CK20, aberrant expression of CK7, CIMP-high, MSI-high, and BRAF mutation. In summary, our results suggest that concomitant loss of CDX2 and SATB2 is a prognostic biomarker but isolated loss of CDX2 or SATB2 is not a prognostic biomarker for stage III CRCs.

Evaluation of an eight marker-panel including long mononucleotide repeat markers to detect microsatellite instability in colorectal, gastric, and endometrial cancers.

BACKGROUND: Accurate determination of microsatellite instability (MSI) status is critical for optimal treatment in cancer patients. Conventional MSI markers can sometimes display subtle shifts that are difficult to interpret, especially in non-colorectal cases. We evaluated an experimental eight marker-panel including long mononucleotide repeat (LMR) markers for detection of MSI. METHODS: The eight marker-panel was comprised of five conventional markers (BAT-25, BAT-26, NR-21, NR-24, and NR-27) and three LMR markers (BAT-52, BAT-59 and BAT-62). MSI testing was performed against 300 specimens of colorectal, gastric, and endometrial cancers through PCR followed by capillary electrophoresis length analysis. RESULTS: The MSI testing with eight marker-panel showed 99.3% (295/297) concordance with IHC analysis excluding 3 MMR-focal deficient cases. The sensitivity of BAT-59 and BAT-62 was higher than or comparable to that of conventional markers in gastric and endometrial cancer. The mean shift size was larger in LMR markers compared to conventional markers for gastric and endometrial cancers. CONCLUSIONS: The MSI testing with eight maker-panel showed comparable performance with IHC analysis. The LMR markers, especially BAT-59 and BAT-62, showed high sensitivity and large shifts which can contribute to increased confidence in MSI classification, especially in gastric and endometrial cancers. Further study is needed with large number of samples for the validation of these LMR markers.

Prognostic significance of STING expression in solid tumor: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is a key regulator in initiating innate immune response from sensing cytosolic DNA. Recent studies have revealed that the cGAS-STING signaling pathway has a crucial role in tumor development and progression across cancer types. Herein, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore the relationship between the immunoexpression of STING and the survival outcome of patients in various solid tumors. Studies relevant to the subject were searched from PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Results: Eleven studies including 2,345 patients were eligible for the analysis. STING expression in tumor cells was related to improved disease-free survival/recurrence-free survival (DFS/RFS) (HR = 0.656, 95% CI = 0.455-0.946, p = 0.024) but not with overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.779, 95% CI = 0.534-1.136, p = 0.194). STING expression in stromal cells, however, did not show significant correlation with DFS/RFS and OS (HR = 0.979, 95% CI = 0.565-1.697, p-value = 0.940 and HR = 1.295, 95% CI = 0.845-1.985, p = 0.235, respectively). In a subgroup analysis, STING expression in tumor cells was associated with better DFS (HR = 0.622, 95% CI = 0.428-0.903, p = 0.012). In tumor cells, favorable DFS/RFS were also related to studies from univariate analysis and the gastrointestinal system (HR = 0.667, 95% CI = 0.482-0.923, p = 0.015 and HR = 0.566, 95% CI = 0.330-0.971, p = 0.039). Conclusions: STING expression in tumor cells is associated with favorable outcome in solid tumors. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, registration number: CRD42023427027.

Spatial and clonality-resolved 3D cancer genome alterations reveal enhancer-hijacking as a potential prognostic marker for colorectal cancer.

The regulatory effect of non-coding large-scale structural variations (SVs) on proto-oncogene activation remains unclear. This study investigated SV-mediated gene dysregulation by profiling 3D cancer genome maps from 40 patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). We developed a machine learning-based method for spatial characterization of the altered 3D cancer genome. This revealed a frequent establishment of "de novo chromatin contacts" that can span multiple topologically associating domains (TADs) in addition to the canonical TAD fusion/shuffle model. Using this information, we precisely identified super-enhancer (SE)-hijacking and its clonal characteristics. Clonal SE-hijacking genes, such as TOP2B, are recurrently associated with cell-cycle/DNA-processing functions, which can potentially be used as CRC prognostic markers. Oncogene activation and increased drug resistance due to SE-hijacking were validated by reconstructing the patient's SV using CRISPR-Cas9. Collectively, the spatial and clonality-resolved analysis of the 3D cancer genome reveals regulatory principles of large-scale SVs in oncogene activation and their clinical implications.

PAIP 2020: Microsatellite instability prediction in colorectal cancer.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) refers to alterations in the length of simple repetitive genomic sequences. MSI status serves as a prognostic and predictive factor in colorectal cancer. The MSI-high status is a good prognostic factor in stage II/III cancer, and predicts a lack of benefit to adjuvant fluorouracil chemotherapy in stage II cancer but a good response to immunotherapy in stage IV cancer. Therefore, determining MSI status in patients with colorectal cancer is important for identifying the appropriate treatment protocol. In the Pathology Artificial Intelligence Platform (PAIP) 2020 challenge, artificial intelligence researchers were invited to predict MSI status based on colorectal cancer slide images. Participants were required to perform two tasks. The primary task was to classify a given slide image as belonging to either the MSI-high or the microsatellite-stable group. The second task was tumor area segmentation to avoid ties with the main task. A total of 210 of the 495 participants enrolled in the challenge downloaded the images, and 23 teams submitted their final results. Seven teams from the top 10 participants agreed to disclose their algorithms, most of which were convolutional neural network-based deep learning models, such as EfficientNet and UNet. The top-ranked system achieved the highest F1 score (0.9231). This paper summarizes the various methods used in the PAIP 2020 challenge. This paper supports the effectiveness of digital pathology for identifying the relationship between colorectal cancer and the MSI characteristics.

Prognostic significance of heterologous component in carcinosarcoma of the gynecologic organs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the histologic presence of heterologous component as a prognostic factor in gynecologic carcinosarcoma through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for publications. Studies that evaluated survival effect of sarcomatous component based on histology in human ovarian or uterine carcinosarcoma were included. Two authors independently reviewed the references based on eligibility criteria and extracted the data including primary tumor site, survival outcome, type of survival outcome, and proportion of each sarcomatous differentiation. The quality of each eligible study was assessed with Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model to estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of survival outcome for carcinosarcoma with or without heterologous component. RESULTS: Eight studies including 1,594 patients were identified. Overall proportion of carcinosarcoma with heterologous component was 43.3%. Presence of heterologous component was associated with worse overall survival (HR=1.81; 95% CI=1.15-2.85) but not with pooled recurrence-free survival and disease-free survival (HR=1.79; 95% CI=0.85-3.77). Removing multivariate analysis studies, early-stage studies, ovarian tumor study, or studies with large number of patient samples did not affect the significance between heterologous component and overall survival. CONCLUSION: Gynecologic carcinosarcoma is histologically a biphasic tumor which comprise of epithelial and mesenchymal components. Our study emphasizes pathologic evaluation of heterologous component as a prognostic factor in gynecologic carcinosarcoma when all stages were considered. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO Identifier: CRD42022298871.

Clinical and genetic spectrum of GSD type 6 in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Glycogen storage disease type VI (GSD VI) is a rare disease in which liver glycogen metabolism is impaired by mutations in the glycogen phosphorylase L (PYGL). This study aimed to examine the clinical features, genetic analyses, and long-term outcomes of patients with GSD VI in Korea. METHODS: From January 2002 to November 2022, we retrospectively reviewed patients diagnosed with GSD VI using a gene panel at Seoul National University Hospital. We investigated the clinical profile, liver histology, molecular diagnosis, and long-term outcomes of patients with GSD VI. RESULTS: Five patients were included in the study. The age at onset was 18-30 months (median, 21 months), and current age was 3.7-17 years (median, 11 years). All patients showed hepatomegaly, elevated liver transaminase activity, and hypertriglyceridaemia. Hypercholesterolaemia and fasting hypoglycaemia occurred in 60% and 40% of patients, respectively. Ten variants of PYGL were identified, of which six were novel: five missense (p.[Gly607Val], p.[Leu445Pro], p.[Gly695Glu], p.[Val828Gly], p.[Tyr158His]), and one frameshift (p.[Arg67AlafsTer34]). All patients were treated with a high-protein diet, and four also received corn starch. All patients showed improved liver function tests, hypertriglyceridaemia, hepatomegaly, and height z score. CONCLUSIONS: The GSD gene panel is a useful diagnostic tool for confirming the presence of GSD VI. Genetic heterogeneity was observed in all patients with GSD VI. Increased liver enzyme levels, hypertriglyceridaemia, and height z score in patients with GSD VI improved during long-term follow-up.

Circulating Tumor DNA Dynamics and Treatment Outcome of Regorafenib in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

PURPOSE: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is emerging as a valuable non-invasive tool to identify tumor heterogeneity and tumor burden. This study investigated ctDNA dynamics in metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with regorafenib. Materials and Methods: In this prospective biomarker study, plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples obtained at baseline, at the first response evaluation after 2 cycles of treatment, and at the time of progressive disease were sequenced using a targeted next-generation sequencing platform which included 106 genes. RESULTS: A total of 285 blood samples from 110 patients were analyzed. Higher baseline cfDNA concentration was associated with worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). After 2 cycles of treatment, variant allele frequency (VAF) in the majority of ctDNA mutations decreased with a mean relative change of -31.6%. Decreases in the VAF of TP53, APC, TCF7L2, and ROS1 after 2 cycles of regorafenib were associated with longer PFS. We used the sum of VAF at each time point as a surrogate for the overall ctDNA burden. A reduction in sum (VAF) of ≥ 50% after 2 cycles was associated with longer PFS (6.1 vs. 2.7 months, p=0.002), OS (11.3 vs. 5.9 months, p=0.001), and higher disease control rate (86.3% vs. 51.1%, p < 0.001). VAF of the majority of the ctDNA mutations increased at the time of disease progression, and VAF of BRAF increased markedly. CONCLUSION: Reduction in ctDNA burden as estimated by sum (VAF) could be used to predict treatment outcome of regorafenib.

Influence of location-dependent sex difference on PD-L1, MMR/MSI, and EGFR in colorectal carcinogenesis.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported to be strongly associated to sex/gender difference. CRC shows sexual dimorphism, and sex hormones have been shown to affect the tumor immune microenvironment. This study aimed to investigate location-dependent sex differences in tumorigenic molecular characteristics in patients with colorectal tumors, including adenoma and CRC. METHODS: A total of 231 participants, including 138 patients with CRC, 55 patients with colorectal adenoma, and 38 healthy controls, were recruited between 2015 and 2021 at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. All patients underwent colonoscopy and acquired tumor lesion samples were further analyzed for programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression, deficient mismatch repair (dMMR), and microsatellite instability (MSI) status. This study was registered with ClinicalTrial.gov, number NCT05638542. RESULTS: The average of combined positive score (CPS) was higher in serrated lesions and polyps (lesions/polyps) compared to conventional adenomas (5.73 and 1.41, respectively, P < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between sex and PD-L1 expression within the groups, regardless of histopathological diagnosis. In multivariate analysis where each sex was further stratified by tumor location due to their interaction in CRC, PD-L1 expression was inversely correlated with males having proximal CRC with a CPS cutoff of 1 (Odds ratio (OR) 0.28, P = 0.034). Females with proximal CRC showed a significant association with dMMR/MSI-high (OR 14.93, P = 0.032) and high EGFR expression (OR 4.17, P = 0.017). CONCLUSION: Sex and tumor location influenced molecular features such as PD-L1, MMR/MSI status and EGFR expression in CRC, suggesting a possible underlying mechanism of sex-specific colorectal carcinogenesis.

Prognostic Impact of Extramural Lymphatic, Vascular, and Perineural Invasion in Stage II Colon Cancer: A Comparison With Intramural Invasion.

BACKGROUND: Lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, and perineural invasion are prognostic factors for colon cancer. However, the prognostic significance of those factors according to the location of permeation (intramural and extramural invasion) in stage II colon cancer is still unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to clarify whether the location of lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, and perineural invasion could affect the survival of patients with stage II colon cancer. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study. SETTINGS: This study took place at a university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: A total of 1130 patients with stage II colon cancers who underwent radical surgery at the Seoul National University Hospital between July 2003 and December 2015 were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients were classified according to the location of lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, and perineural invasion. Survival outcomes were compared among those without invasion and those with intramural and extramural invasion. Primary end point is overall survival and secondary end point is disease-free survival. RESULTS: Disease-free survival and overall survival of patients with extramural invasion were worse than those of patients without invasion and those with intramural invasion. Multivariate analysis for survival outcomes confirmed that extramural invasion was a significant independent prognostic factor. However, both disease-free survival and overall survival were not significantly different between patients without invasion and those with intramural invasion. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by its retrospective design. CONCLUSIONS: Extramural invasion was associated with worse prognosis in stage II colon cancer, but intramural invasion was not. Therefore, pathologic reports about the location of lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, and perineural invasion might be helpful for predicting prognosis and for determining the need of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II colon cancers. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B939 . IMPACTO PRONSTICO DE LA INVASION EXTRAMURAL LINFTICA, VASCULAR Y PERINEURAL EN EL CNCER DE COLON ESTADO II ESTUDIO COMPARATIVO CON RELACIN A LA INVASIN INTRAMURAL: ANTECEDENTES:La invasión linfática, vascular y perineural son factores pronósticos para el cáncer de colon. Sin embargo, la importancia pronóstica de estos factores de acuerdo con la ubicación de la permeabilidad (invasión intramural y extramural) del cáncer de colon en estadío II aún no está aclarada.OBJETIVO:El presente estudio tiene por objetivo, el de aclarar si la localización de la invasión linfática, vascular y perineural podría afectar la sobrevida en los pacientes con cáncer de colon en estadío II.DISEÑO:Estudio de cohortes de caracter retrospectivo.AJUSTES:Nuestro estudio se llevó a cabo en un hospital docente universitario.PACIENTES:Se incluyeron un total de 1130 pacientes diagnosticados con cáncer de colon en estadío II, los cuales fueron sometidos a cirugía radical en el Hospital Universitario Nacional de Seúl, entre julio de 2003 y diciembre de 2015.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:Los pacientes fueron clasificados según la localización de la invasión linfática, vascular y perineural. Los resultados de la sobrevida fueron comparados con aquellos sin invasión y los otros con invasión intramural y extramural. El objetivo final primario fué la sobrevida global, el objetivo final secundario fué la sobrevida libre de enfermedad.RESULTADOS:La sobrevida libre de enfermedad y la sobrevida global de los pacientes con invasión extramural fueron mucho peores en relacion a las de los pacientes sin invasión y aquellos con invasión intramural. El análisis multivariado de los resultados de la sobrevida confirmaron que la invasión extramural es un factor pronóstico independiente muy significativo. Sin embargo, tanto la sobrevida libre de enfermedad, como la sobrevida global no fueron significativamente diferentes entre los pacientes sin invasión y aquellos con invasión intramural.LIMITACIONES:Estudio limitado por su diseño con caracter retrospectivo.CONCLUSIONES:La invasión extramural fué asociada con un peor pronóstico en el cáncer de colon en estadío II, pero la invasión intramural no lo fué. Por tanto, los informes anatomopatológicos sobre la ubicación de la invasión linfática, vascular y perineural, podrían ser útiles para predecir el pronóstico y determinar el menester de la quimioterapia adyuvante en los cánceres de colon en estadío II. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B939 . (Traducción-Dr. Xavier Delgadillo ).

Sugar-sweetened beverages exacerbate high-fat diet-induced inflammatory bowel disease by altering the gut microbiome.

High-fat diets (HFDs) and frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are potential contributors to increasing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) incidences. While HFDs have been implicated in mild intestinal inflammation, the role of sucrose in SSBs remains unclear. Therefore, we studied the role of SSBs in IBD pathogenesis in a mouse model and humans. C57BL6/J mice were given ad libitum access to a sucrose solution or plain water for 10 weeks, with or without an HFD. Interestingly, sucrose solution consumption alone did not induce gut inflammation in mice; however, when combined with an HFD, it dramatically increased the inflammation score, submucosal edema, and CD45+ cell infiltration. 16S ribosomal RNA gene-sequencing revealed that sucrose solution and HFD co-consumption significantly increased the relative abundance of IBD-related pathogenic bacteria when compared with HFD consumption. RNA sequencing and flow cytometry showed that co-consumption promoted pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine synthesis, dendritic-cell expansion, and IFN-γ+TNF-α+CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell activation. Fecal microbiota transplantation from HFD- and sucrose water-fed mice into gut-sterilized mice increased the susceptibility to dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in the recipient mice. Consistent herewith, high consumption of SSBs and animal fat-rich diets markedly increased systemic inflammation-associated IBD marker expression in humans. In conclusion, SSBs exacerbate HFD-induced colitis by triggering a shift of the gut microbiome into a pathobiome. Our findings provide new insights for the development of strategies aimed at preventing IBD.

Attention-based multiple instance learning with self-supervision to predict microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer from histology whole-slide images.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a clinically important characteristic of colorectal cancer. Standard diagnosis of MSI is performed via genetic analyses, however these tests are not always included in routine care. Histopathology whole-slide images (WSIs) are the gold-standard for colorectal cancer diagnosis and are routinely collected. This study develops a model to predict MSI directly from WSIs. Making use of both weakly- and self-supervised deep learning techniques, the proposed model shows improved performance over conventional deep learning models. Additionally, the proposed framework allows for visual interpretation of model decisions. These results are validated in internal and external testing datasets.

Composite scoring system and optimal tumor budding cut-off number for estimating lymph node metastasis in submucosal colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Tumor budding is associated with lymph node (LN) metastasis in submucosal colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the rate of LN metastasis associated with the number of tumor buds is unknown. Here, we determined the optimal tumor budding cut-off number and developed a composite scoring system (CSS) for estimating LN metastasis of submucosal CRC. METHODS: In total, 395 patients with histologically confirmed T1N0-2M0 CRC were evaluated. The clinicopathological characteristics were subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses. The Akaike information criterion (AIC) values of the multivariate models were evaluated to identify the optimal cut-off number. A CSS for LN metastasis was developed using independent risk factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of LN metastasis was 13.2%. Histological differentiation, lymphatic or venous invasion, and tumor budding were associated with LN metastasis in univariate analyses. In multivariate models adjusted for histological differentiation and lymphatic or venous invasion, the AIC value was lowest for five tumor buds. Unfavorable differentiation (odds ratio [OR], 8.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.80-36.89), lymphatic or venous invasion (OR, 5.91; 95% CI, 2.91-11.97), and five or more tumor buds (OR, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.21-7.69) were independent risk factors. In a CSS using these three risk factors, the rates of LN metastasis were 5.6%, 15.5%, 31.0%, and 52.4% for total composite scores of 0, 1, 2, and ≥ 3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: For the estimation of LN metastasis in submucosal CRC, the optimal tumor budding cut-off number was five. Our CSS can be utilized to estimate LN metastasis.

Intratumoral spatial heterogeneity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes is a significant factor for precisely stratifying prognostic immune subgroups of microsatellite instability-high colorectal carcinomas.

Although the density of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is known to be linked to prognosis in various cancers, the prognostic impact and immunologic significance of the spatial heterogeneity of TILs have been rarely investigated. In this study, CD3+ and CD8+ TILs were quantified in independent cohorts (discovery, n = 73; and external validation, n = 93) of colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) utilizing whole-slide image analysis of CD3/CD8 immunohistochemistry. The Shannon and Simpson indices, which measure intratumoral patch-to-patch evenness of TIL densities, were used to quantitatively assess the spatial heterogeneity of TILs in each case. To uncover immune-related gene expression signatures of spatial heterogeneity-based TIL subgroups of MSI-H CRCs, representative cases were subjected to GeoMx digital spatial profiler (DSP) analysis. As expected, a low density of TILs was significantly associated with poor disease-free survival (DFS) in MSI-H CRCs. The TIL-low tumors were further classified into two subgroups based on the spatial heterogeneity of TILs: TIL-low/heterogeneity-high and TIL-low/heterogeneity-low subgroups. In both discovery and validation cohorts, the TIL-low/heterogeneity-high, TIL-low/heterogeneity-low, and TIL-high subgroups were significantly associated with poor, intermediate, and good DFS, respectively. In the DSP analysis, the TIL-low/heterogeneity-high subgroup showed higher spatial diversity in the expression of immune-related genes than that of the TIL-low/heterogeneity-low subgroup and exhibited upregulation of genes related to immune checkpoints, chemokine/cytokine receptors, and myeloid cells. TIL-low/heterogeneity-high tumors were also enriched with gene sets related to good response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In conclusion, TIL-low MSI-H CRCs are prognostically heterogeneous and can be divided into prognostically and immunologically distinct subgroups by considering the spatial heterogeneity of TILs. Our data suggest that intratumoral spatial heterogeneity of TILs can be used as a key element for clinically relevant immunologic subtyping of tumors.

Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of Fusobacterium nucleatum in colorectal cancer: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Fusobacterium nucleatum has been identified to promote tumor progression in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, association between F. nucleatum and prognostic or clinicopathological features has been diverse among studies, which could be affected by type of biospecimen (formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded or fresh frozen [FF]). METHODS: Articles were systemically reviewed for studies that included the correlation between F. nucleatum and prognosis or clinicopathological features in CRC. RESULTS: Ten articles, eight studies with survival-related features involving 3,199 patients and nine studies with clinical features involving 2,655 patients, were eligible for the meta-analysis. Overall survival, disease-free survival, and cancer-specific survival were all associated with worse prognosis in F. nucleatum-high patients (p<.05). In subgroup analysis, only studies with FF tissues retained prognostic significance with F. nucleatum. In meta-analysis of clinicopathological variables, F. nucleatum level was associated with location within colon, pT category, MLH1 hypermethylation, microsatellite instability status, and BRAF mutation regardless of type of biospecimen. However, lymph node metastasis and KRAS mutation was only associated with F. nucleatum level in FF-based studies. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, type of biospecimen could affect the role of F. nucleatum as a biomarker associated with clinicopathological features and prognosis.

Identification of tissue of origin in cancer of unknown primary using a targeted bisulfite sequencing panel.

Aim: To construct a targeted bisulfite sequencing panel predicting origin of cancer of unknown primary. Methods: A bisulfite sequencing panel targeting 2793 tissue-specific markers was performed in 100 clinical samples. Results: The authors' prediction model showed 0.85 accuracy for the 'first-ranked' tissue type and 0.93 accuracy for the 'second-ranked' tissue type using 2793 tissue-specific markers and 0.84 accuracy for the 'first-ranked' tissue type and 0.92 accuracy for the 'second-ranked' tissue type when the number of tissue-specific markers was reduced to 514. Conclusion: Targeted bisulfite sequencing is a useful method for predicting the tissue of origin in patients with cancer of unknown primary.

When patients with cancer present with tumors that have migrated from elsewhere in the body, it is difficult for clinicians to identify where the cancer originated. DNA methylation profiling is a promising test to help identify where the cancer originated because it reflects cell of origin and is compatible with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Because next-generation sequencing has already been implemented in clinical laboratories, the authors developed a targeted bisulfite sequencing panel that could predict the tissue of origin using genomic DNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. The authors found that a hybrid capture-based targeted bisulfite sequencing panel is a useful method for predicting the tissue of origin in patients with cancer of unknown primary origin in clinical practice.

Combinatory statuses of tumor stromal percentage and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes as prognostic factors in stage III colorectal cancers.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Tumor stroma and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are major constituents of the tumor microenvironment, although they have different effects on the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Combinatory statuses of tumor-stromal percentage (TSP) and TILs are expected to provide more powerful prognostic information but have never been studied in CRCs. METHODS: Stage III CRCs from patients (n = 487) treated with adjuvant chemotherapy were assessed for their TSP and CD3-TIL or CD8-TIL densities using computer-aided methodology. With cut-off values set at median values for intraepithelial TIL (iTIL) and stromal TIL (sTIL) densities, CRCs were sorted into low and high iTIL or sTIL groups. CRCs were classified into five quintile (Q1-Q5) groups according to their TSP and divided into high TSP (Q5) and low TSP (Q1-4) groups. RESULTS: The combination of CD8 iTIL density and TSP was found to be an independent prognostic parameter in multivariate survival analysis in terms of cancer-specific survival and recurrence-free survival. CRCs with low CD8 iTIL density and high TSP showed the worst survival. The combinatory status showed more prognostic power than CD8 iTIL density or TSP alone. Multivariate survival analysis in an independent cohort of stage III CRC validated the prognostic power of the combinatory statuses. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the combinatory status might serve as a prognostic parameter in stage III CRCs. Further research in a large-scale cohort of patients with stage III CRC is needed to validate the prognostic power of the combinatory status.

Methylation statuses of NCOR2, PARK2, and ZSCAN12 signify densities of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in gastric carcinoma.

Individual cell types of human tissues have their own CpG site methylation profiles, which might be utilized for the development of methylation markers to denote tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). We aimed to develop DNA methylation markers that recapitulate the densities of TILs in gastric carcinoma (GC). Through genome-wide methylation profiling, NCOR2, PARK2, and ZSCAN12 were found to be highly methylated in CD3-positive and CD8-positive cells and rarely methylated in tumor cells. Scores of the three methylation markers were analyzed for their relationship with the overall survival and recurrence-free survival of patients with advanced GC (n = 471). The scores of three methylation markers were closely associated with densities of CD3-positive or CD8-positive cells at the tumor center or invasive front of GCs and found to be a significant prognostic factor in univariate analysis of overall survival and recurrence-free survival. In multivariate analysis, the highest score showed hazard ratios of 0.513 (CI 0.306-0.857) and 0.434 (CI 0.261-0.720) for overall survival and recurrence-free survival, respectively. The findings suggest that methylation markers signifying TILs might be utilized for the recapitulation of TIL density in GCs and serve as biomarkers for predicting prognosis in patients with GC.