Decoding germ cell tumours for clinicians.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Germ-cell tumours of the testis affect predominantly younger males aged between 15 and 40 years, with nearly 74,500 new cases estimated globally in 2020. Their rarity and the complex morphology, mean that, in nonexpert hands, there is a significant risk of misdiagnosis of both type and staging of these neoplasms. RECENT FINDINGS: There have been significant changes in the 2016 WHO classification of Testicular tumours that need to be understood by both pathologists and clinicians for streamlining management. Standardised structured reporting guidelines and discussion at the multidisciplinary-team meetings lead to subsequently better health outcomes and patient safety. SUMMARY: Therefore, communication with high-quality reports and understanding of clinicians of what constitutes an adequate report, is the key to ensure proper management of these patients. We attempt to discuss the key updates and pathological features that influence management and need to be communicated with clarity and precision.

Validation of the cell cycle progression score to differentiate indolent from aggressive prostate cancer in men diagnosed through transurethral resection of the prostate biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Validation of biomarker-based prognostic models to improve risk stratification in men with localized prostate cancer (PrCa) remains a clinical need. It has previously been shown that the cell cycle progression (CCP) test provides significant, independent prognostic information for men who were incidentally diagnosed with PrCa after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and were conservatively managed. AIM: The results have been extended in a newly analyzed retrospective cohort of UK men diagnosed through TURP biopsy (TURP1B; N = 305). METHODS AND RESULTS: The CCP score was derived from TURP biopsy tissue and combined with a modified UCSF Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment score (CAPRA) to generate the clinical cell-cycle risk score (CCR). The primary endpoint was PrCa-specific mortality (PSM). Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated for a one-unit change in score. Median follow-up was 9.6 (IQR: 5.4, 14.1) years, and 67 (22%) men died from PrCa within 10 years of diagnosis. The median CCP score was 1.1 (IQR: 0.6, 1.7). In univariate analyses, CCR proved a significant prognosticator of PSM (HR per unit score change = 2.28; 95% CI: 1.89, 2.74; P = 1.0 × 10-19 ). In multivariate analyses, CCR remained a significant prognosticator of PSM after adjusting for CAPRA (HR per unit score change = 4.36; 95% CI: 2.65, 7.16; P = 1.3 × 10-8 ), indicating that its molecular component, CCP, provides significant, independent prognostic information. CONCLUSION: These findings validate a combined clinicopathologic and molecular prognostic model for conservatively managed men who are diagnosed through TURP, supporting the use of CCR to inform clinical management.