The Glioma-IRE project - Molecular profiling in patients with glioma: steps toward an individualized diagnostic and therapeutic approach.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to characterize the genetic profile of patients with glioma and discuss the impact of next-generation sequencing in glioma diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Between 2019 and 2022, we analyzed the genetic profile of 99 patients with glioma through the Oncomine Focus Assay. The assay enables the detection of mutations in 52 driver genes, including single nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number variants (CNVs), and gene fusions. We also collected and analyzed patients' clinic characteristics and treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Over a period of 35 months, 700 patients with glioma followed by our neuro-oncology unit were screened, and 99 were enrolled in the study; most of the patients were excluded for inadequate non-morphological MRI or lack/inadequacy of the tissue samples. Based on our findings, most patients with glioma present mutations, such as SNVs, CNVs or gene fusions. Our data were similar to those reported by The Cancer Genome Atlas Program in terms of frequency of SNVs and CNVs, while we observed more cases of gene fusions. Median overall survival, progression-free survival, and time to progression were significantly lower for patients with grade VI glioblastoma than those with other gliomas. Only four patients were offered a targeted treatment based on the mutation detected; however, only one received treatment, the others could not receive the selected treatment because of worsening clinical status. CONCLUSION: Routine timely molecular profiling in patients with glioma should be implemented to offer patients an individualized diagnostic approach and provide them with advanced targeted therapy options if available.

The Molecular Tumor Board of the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute: from accrual to treatment in real-world.

BACKGROUND: Molecular Tumor Boards (MTB) operating in real-world have generated limited consensus on good practices for accrual, actionable alteration mapping, and outcome metrics. These topics are addressed herein in 124 MTB patients, all real-world accrued at progression, and lacking approved therapy options. METHODS: Actionable genomic alterations identified by tumor DNA (tDNA) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) profiling were mapped by customized OncoKB criteria to reflect diagnostic/therapeutic indications as approved in Europe. Alterations were considered non-SoC when mapped at either OncoKB level 3, regardless of tDNA/ctDNA origin, or at OncoKB levels 1/2, provided they were undetectable in matched tDNA, and had not been exploited in previous therapy lines. RESULTS: Altogether, actionable alterations were detected in 54/124 (43.5%) MTB patients, but only in 39 cases (31%) were these alterations (25 from tDNA, 14 from ctDNA) actionable/unexploited, e.g. they had not resulted in the assignment of pre-MTB treatments. Interestingly, actionable and actionable/unexploited alterations both decreased (37.5% and 22.7% respectively) in a subset of 88 MTB patients profiled by tDNA-only, but increased considerably (77.7% and 66.7%) in 18 distinct patients undergoing combined tDNA/ctDNA testing, approaching the potential treatment opportunities (76.9%) in 147 treatment-naïve patients undergoing routine tDNA profiling for the first time. Non-SoC therapy was MTB-recommended to all 39 patients with actionable/unexploited alterations, but only 22 (56%) accessed the applicable drug, mainly due to clinical deterioration, lengthy drug-gathering procedures, and geographical distance from recruiting clinical trials. Partial response and stable disease were recorded in 8 and 7 of 19 evaluable patients, respectively. The time to progression (TTP) ratio (MTB-recommended treatment vs last pre-MTB treatment) exceeded the conventional Von Hoff 1.3 cut-off in 9/19 cases, high absolute TTP and Von Hoff values coinciding in 3 cases. Retrospectively, 8 patients receiving post-MTB treatment(s) as per physician's choice were noted to have a much longer overall survival from MTB accrual than 11 patients who had received no further treatment (35.09 vs 6.67 months, p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: MTB-recommended/non-SoC treatments are effective, including those assigned by ctDNA-only alterations. However, real-world MTBs may inadvertently recruit patients electively susceptible to diverse and/or multiple treatments.

tsRNA signatures in cancer.

Small, noncoding RNAs are short untranslated RNA molecules, some of which have been associated with cancer development. Recently we showed that a class of small RNAs generated during the maturation process of tRNAs (tRNA-derived small RNAs, hereafter "tsRNAs") is dysregulated in cancer. Specifically, we uncovered tsRNA signatures in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and lung cancer and demonstrated that the ts-4521/3676 cluster (now called "ts-101" and "ts-53," respectively), ts-46, and ts-47 are down-regulated in these malignancies. Furthermore, we showed that tsRNAs are similar to Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and demonstrated that ts-101 and ts-53 can associate with PiwiL2, a protein involved in the silencing of transposons. In this study, we extended our investigation on tsRNA signatures to samples collected from patients with colon, breast, or ovarian cancer and cell lines harboring specific oncogenic mutations and representing different stages of cancer progression. We detected tsRNA signatures in all patient samples and determined that tsRNA expression is altered upon oncogene activation and during cancer staging. In addition, we generated a knocked-out cell model for ts-101 and ts-46 in HEK-293 cells and found significant differences in gene-expression patterns, with activation of genes involved in cell survival and down-regulation of genes involved in apoptosis and chromatin structure. Finally, we overexpressed ts-46 and ts-47 in two lung cancer cell lines and performed a clonogenic assay to examine their role in cell proliferation. We observed a strong inhibition of colony formation in cells overexpressing these tsRNAs compared with untreated cells, confirming that tsRNAs affect cell growth and survival.

Correction to: Phase II study of weekly carboplatin in pretreated adult malignant gliomas.

In the original article, the names of authors Mariantonia Carosi and Tatiana Koudriavtseva were incorrectly captured, and author Francesco Cognetti's affiliation was incorrect. The information is correctly shown here.

Comorbidities in elderly patients with glioblastoma: a field-practice study.

AIM: This single-center study evaluated the effect of comorbidities on progression-free and overall survival in elderly patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). PATIENTS & METHODS: Comorbid conditions were identified in each patient with the modified version of the cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS). RESULTS:  Total of 118 patients with GBM were enrolled. An age of >75 years at diagnosis, high CIRS, comorbidity index and performance status play a predictive role on survival. CONCLUSION: Comorbidities play an important prognostic role in elderly patients with GBM, a factor too often neglected in clinical practice. If the prognostic role of comorbidity measured by CIRS on outcome will be confirmed, it would be interesting to add it in the algorithm for treatment choice in elderly GBM patients.

A multicenter real-world study of bevacizumab in heavily pretreated malignant gliomas: clinical benefit is a plausible end point?

Aim: This multicenter, retrospective study evaluates the clinical benefit (CB) of bevacizumab, alone or in combination, in recurrent gliomas (RG). Patients & methods: The CB was measured as a reduction of corticosteroid dosage and an improvement ≥20 points in the Karnofsky Performance Status lasting ≥3 months. Results: We collected data of 197 RG patients. A CB was observed in 120, patients without significant differences between patients treated with bevacizumab alone or in combination. The rate of patients who achieved a CB and free from progression at 1 year was 21.5 versus 1.4% in patients who did not report CB. Conclusion: The majority of RG patients treated with bevacizumab reported CB. Moreover, patients with CB showed improved survival.

MicroRNA-128-3p-mediated depletion of Drosha promotes lung cancer cell migration.

Alteration in microRNAs (miRNAs) expression is a frequent finding in human cancers. In particular, widespread miRNAs down-regulation is a hallmark of malignant transformation. In the present report, we showed that the miR-128-3p, which is up-regulated in lung cancer tissues, has Drosha and Dicer, two key enzymes of miRNAs processing, as the main modulation targets leading to the widespread down-regulation of miRNA expression. We observed that the miRNAs downregulation induced by miR-128-3p contributed to the tumorigenic properties of lung cancer cells. In particular, miR-128-3p-mediated miRNAs down-regulation contributed to aberrant SNAIL and ZEB1 expression thereby promoting the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program. Drosha also resulted to be implicated in the control of migratory phenotype as its expression counteracted miR-128-3p functional effects. Our study provides mechanistic insights into the function of miR-128-3p as a key regulator of the malignant phenotype of lung cancer cells. This also enforces the remarkable impact of Drosha and Dicer alteration in cancer, and in particular it highlights a role for Drosha in non-small-cell lung cancer cells migration.

A predictive value of von Willebrand factor for early response to Bevacizumab therapy in recurrent glioma.

Bevacizumab (BV), a neutralizing monoclonal antibody against the vascular endothelial growth factor ligand, is recognized as a potent anti-angiogenic agent with antitumor activity. The aim of this single-center, retrospective, longitudinal study was to investigate the possible predictive value of baseline demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters for early 3-month response to BV therapy in patients with recurrent glioma. Forty-nine patients with recurrent glioma received BV at 10 mg/kg intravenously every 3 weeks alone or in association with chemotherapy were included in this study. Blood samples were collected from all patients before the first (baseline), the second and the third administration of BV. After 3 months of BV therapy, patients with partial response were defined as responders whereas patients with stable or progressive disease were defined as non-responders. The median overall follow-up was 8 months (range 1-73), the median overall survival (OS) was 8 months (95% CI 6-10) and the median progression free survival (PFS) was 4 months (95% CI 3-5). Thirty-five % of patients were responders and showed significantly lower von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels than non-responders at all sample times (p < .02 for all). Also, on multivariate analysis the baseline VWF value was the only predictor for an early response to BV therapy. Furthermore, D-dimer and prothrombin fragment 1+2 were predictive factors for OS while Karnofsky performance status resulted predictive for PFS. VWF antigen value is a possible predictive biomarker for an early 3-month response to BV therapy in recurrent glioma.

Overexpression of syndecan-1, MUC-1, and putative stem cell markers in breast cancer leptomeningeal metastasis: a cerebrospinal fluid flow cytometry study.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a mosaic of tumor cell subpopulations, where only a minority is responsible for disease recurrence and cancer invasiveness. We focused on one of the most aggressive circulating tumor cells (CTCs) which, from the primitive tumor, spreads to the central nervous system (CNS), evaluating the expression of prognostic and putative cancer stem cell markers in breast cancer (BC) leptomeningeal metastasis (LM). METHODS: Flow cytometry immunophenotypic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples (4.5 ml) was performed in 13 consecutive cases of BCLM. Syndecan-1 (CD138), MUC-1 (CD227) CD45, CD34, and the putative cancer stem cell markers CD15, CD24, CD44, and CD133 surface expression were evaluated on CSF floating tumor cells. The tumor-associated leukocyte population was also characterized. RESULTS: Despite a low absolute cell number (8 cell/µl, range 1-86), the flow cytometry characterization was successfully conducted in all the samples. Syndecan-1 and MUC-1 overexpression was documented on BC cells in all the samples analyzed; CD44, CD24, CD15, and CD133 in 77%, 75%, 70%, and 45% of cases, respectively. A strong syndecan-1 and MUC-1 expression was also documented by immunohistochemistry on primary breast cancer tissues, performed in four patients. The CSF tumor population was flanked by T lymphocytes, with a different immunophenotype between the CSF and peripheral blood samples (P ≤ 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Flow cytometry can be successfully employed for solid tumor LM characterization even in CSF samples with low cell count. This in vivo study documents that CSF floating BC cells overexpress prognostic and putative cancer stem cell biomarkers related to tumor invasiveness, potentially representing a molecular target for circulating tumor cell detection and LM treatment monitoring, as well as a primary target for innovative treatment strategies. The T lymphocyte infiltration, documented in all CSF samples, suggests a possible involvement of the CNS lymphatic system in both lymphoid and cancer cell migration into and out of the meninges, supporting the extension of a new form of cellular immunotherapy to LM. Due to the small number of cases, validation on large cohorts of patients are warranted to confirm these findings and to evaluate the impact and value of these results for diagnosis and management of LM.

Development and validation of a microRNA-based signature (MiROvaR) to predict early relapse or progression of epithelial ovarian cancer: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Risk of relapse or progression remains high in the treatment of most patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, and development of a molecular predictor could be a valuable tool for stratification of patients by risk. We aimed to develop a microRNA (miRNA)-based molecular classifier that can predict risk of progression or relapse in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: We analysed miRNA expression profiles in three cohorts of samples collected at diagnosis. We used 179 samples from a Multicenter Italian Trial in Ovarian cancer trial (cohort OC179) to develop the model and 263 samples from two cancer centres (cohort OC263) and 452 samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas epithelial ovarian cancer series (cohort OC452) to validate the model. The primary clinical endpoint was progression-free survival, and we adapted a semi-supervised prediction method to the miRNA expression profile of OC179 to identify miRNAs that predict risk of progression. We assessed the independent prognostic role of the model using multivariable analysis with a Cox regression model. FINDINGS: We identified 35 miRNAs that predicted risk of progression or relapse and used them to create a prognostic model, the 35-miRNA-based predictor of Risk of Ovarian Cancer Relapse or progression (MiROvaR). MiROvaR was able to classify patients in OC179 into a high-risk group (89 patients; median progression-free survival 18 months [95% CI 15-22]) and a low-risk group (90 patients; median progression-free survival 38 months [24-not estimable]; hazard ratio [HR] 1·85 [1·29-2·64], p=0·00082). MiROvaR was a significant predictor of progression in the two validation sets (OC263 HR 3·16, 95% CI 2·33-4·29, p<0·0001; OC452 HR 1·39, 95% CI 1·11-1·74, p=0·0047) and maintained its independent prognostic effect when adjusted for relevant clinical covariates using multivariable analyses (OC179: adjusted HR 1·48, 95% CI 1·03-2·13, p=0·036; OC263: adjusted HR 3·09 [2·24-4·28], p<0·0001; and OC452: HR 1·41 [1·11-1·79], p=0·0047). INTERPRETATION: MiROvaR is a potential predictor of epithelial ovarian cancer progression and has prognostic value independent of relevant clinical covariates. MiROvaR warrants further investigation for the development of a clinical-grade prognostic assay. FUNDING: AIRC and CARIPLO Foundation.

Identification of pivotal cellular factors involved in HPV-induced dysplastic and neoplastic cervical pathologies.

Cervical carcinoma represents the paradigm of virus-induced cancers, where virtually all cervical cancers come from previous "high-risk" HPV infection. The persistent expression of the HPV viral oncoproteins E6 and E7 is responsible for the reprogramming of fundamental cellular functions in the host cell, thus generating a noticeable, yet only partially explored, imbalance in protein molecular networks and cell signaling pathways. Eighty-eight cellular factors, identified as HPV direct or surrogate targets, were chosen and monitored in a retrospective analysis for their mRNA expression in HPV-induced cervical lesions, from dysplasia to cancer. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed by using formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded archival samples. Gene expression analysis identified 40 genes significantly modulated in LSIL, HSIL, and squamous cervical carcinoma. Interestingly, among these, the expression level of a panel of four genes, TOP2A, CTNNB1, PFKM, and GSN, was able to distinguish between normal tissues and cervical carcinomas. Immunohistochemistry was also done to assess protein expression of two genes among those up-regulated during the transition between dysplasia and carcinoma, namely E2F1 and CDC25A, and their correlation with clinical parameters. Besides the possibility of significantly enhancing the use of some of these factors in diagnostic or prognostic procedures, these data clearly outline specific pathways, and thus key biological processes, altered in cervical dysplasia and carcinoma. Deeper insight on how these molecular mechanisms work may help widen the spectrum of novel innovative approaches to these virus-induced cell pathologies.

DHEA-S, Androstenedione, 17-ß-estradiol signature as novel biomarkers for early prediction of risk of malignant pleural mesothelioma linked to asbestos-exposure: A preliminary investigation.

17-ß-estradiol, involved in mesothelioma pathogenesis, and its precursors were explored as potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis of mesothelioma. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) for 17-ß-estradiol and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLC-MS/MS) for 19 17-ß-estradiol precursors, a comprehensive analysis of 20steroid hormones was conducted in the serum of mesothelioma patients(n=67), asbestos-exposed healthy subjects(n=39), and non-asbestos-exposed healthy subjects(n=35). Bioinformatics analysis explored three potential serum biomarkers: 17-ß-estradiol, DHEA-S, and androstenedione. The results revealed significant differences in 17-ß-estradiol levels between mesothelioma patients and both non-asbestos-exposed and asbestos-exposed healthy subjects. No significant variations in serum 17-ß-estradiol levels were observed among mesothelioma patients at different stages, suggesting its potential as an early diagnostic marker. 17-ß-estradiol levels were similar in mesothelioma patients with environmental and occupational asbestos exposure, while males with occupational asbestos exposure exhibited significantly higher levels of 17-ß-estradiol compared to females. Significant reduction in androstenedione and an increase in DHEA-S were observed in asbestos-exposed individuals compared to non-asbestos-exposed individuals. The analysis of DHEA-S-androstenedione-17-ß-estradiol signature score showed an increase in asbestos-exposed individuals and mesothelioma patients compared to non-asbestos-exposed individuals, and this score effectively distinguished between the groups. The Cancer Genome Atlas data was utilized to analyze the expression of 5-α-reductase1 and hydroxysteroid-17ß-dehydrogenase2 genes. The findings indicated that mesothelioma patients with elevated gene values for 5-α-reductase1 and hydroxysteroid-17ß-dehydrogenase2 have a worse or better prognosis on overall survival, respectively. In conclusion, this study suggests 17-ß-estradiol, DHEA-S, and androstenedione as biomarkers for mesothelioma risk and early diagnosis of mesothelioma in asbestos-exposed individuals, aiding timely intervention and improved care.

Overexpression in metastatic breast cancer supports Syndecan-1 as a marker of invasiveness and poor prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Metastasis is the main cause of breast cancer (BC) mortality. Increasing evidence points to a role of syndecan-1 (CD138) expression as a prognostic marker involved in BC tissue and leptomeningeal metastasis. Aim of this study was to investigate and compare syndecan-1 tissue expression and localization in primary and secondary BC, focusing on brain metastases. METHODS: Syndecan-1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry. Focal vs diffuse (< or > 50% of cancer cells, respectively) pattern of expression, cellular localization (cytoplasm vs membrane) and intensity of immunostaining on neoplastic cells were evaluated. Moreover, the extent and pattern of expression of syndecan-1 were compared between primary tumors and paired metastases and correlated with the tumor intrinsic subtype. RESULTS: A total of 23 cases, 10 with paired primary and metastatic tumor and 13 brain metastases, were evaluated. Syndecan-1 was expressed in both primary and metastatic BC. A diffuse cytoplasmic expression was observed in most primary BCs; by contrast, all metastatic lesions showed a membrane pattern of expression, suggesting a shift in cellular localization of syndecan-1 during the metastatic process. Concerning the extent of expression, we observed in metastatic lesions, a trend of association between intrinsic subtypes and extent of positivity. In particular, both BC characterized by overexpression of HER2 and triple-negative tumors were correlated with a diffuse pattern of expression with a moderate to strong intensity. CONCLUSION: A diffuse cytoplasmic expression was observed in most primary BCs; by contrast, all metastatic lesions showed a membrane pattern of expression, suggesting a shift in cellular localization of syndecan-1 during the metastatic process.

Targeting tumor-stroma communication by blocking endothelin-1 receptors sensitizes high-grade serous ovarian cancer to PARP inhibition.

PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have changed the treatment paradigm of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HG-SOC). However, the impact of this class of inhibitors in HG-SOC patients with a high rate of TP53 mutations is limited, highlighting the need to develop combinatorial therapeutic strategies to improve responses to PARPi. Here, we unveil how the endothelin-1/ET-1 receptor (ET-1/ET-1R) axis, which is overexpressed in human HG-SOC and associated with poor prognosis, instructs HG-SOC/tumor microenvironment (TME) communication via key pro-malignant factors and restricts the DNA damage response induced by the PARPi olaparib. Mechanistically, the ET-1 axis promotes the p53/YAP/hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) transcription hub connecting HG-SOC cells, endothelial cells and activated fibroblasts, hence fueling persistent DNA damage signal escape. The ET-1R antagonist macitentan, which dismantles the ET-1R-mediated p53/YAP/HIF-1α network, interferes with HG-SOC/stroma interactions that blunt PARPi efficacy. Pharmacological ET-1R inhibition by macitentan in orthotopic HG-SOC patient-derived xenografts synergizes with olaparib to suppress metastatic progression, enhancing PARPi survival benefit. These findings reveal ET-1R as a mechanistic determinant in the regulation of HG-SOC/TME crosstalk and DNA damage response, indicating the use of macitentan in combinatorial treatments with PARPi as a promising and emerging therapy.

HSF-1/miR-145-5p transcriptional axis enhances hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy efficacy on peritoneal ovarian carcinosis.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal administration of chemotherapy (HIPEC) increases local drug concentrations and reduces systemic side effects associated with prolonged adjuvant intraperitoneal exposure in patients affected by either peritoneal malignancies or metastatic diseases originating from gastric, colon, kidney, and ovarian primary tumors. Mechanistically, the anticancer effects of HIPEC have been poorly explored. Herein we documented that HIPEC treatment promoted miR-145-5p expression paired with a significant downregulation of its oncogenic target genes c-MYC, EGFR, OCT4, and MUC1 in a pilot cohort of patients with ovarian peritoneal metastatic lesions. RNA sequencing analyses of ovarian peritoneal metastatic nodules from HIPEC treated patients unveils HSF-1 as a transcriptional regulator factor of miR-145-5p expression. Notably, either depletion of HSF-1 expression or chemical inhibition of its transcriptional activity impaired miR-145-5p tumor suppressor activity and the response to cisplatin in ovarian cancer cell lines incubated at 42 °C. In aggregate, our findings highlight a novel transcriptional network involving HSF-1, miR145-5p, MYC, EGFR, MUC1, and OCT4 whose proper activity contributes to HIPEC anticancer efficacy in the treatment of ovarian metastatic peritoneal lesions.

A diagnostic circulating miRNA signature as orchestrator of cell invasion via TKS4/TKS5/EFHD2 modulation in human gliomas.

BACKGROUND: Altered microRNA profiles have been observed not only in tumour tissues but also in biofluids, where they circulate in a stable form thus representing interesting biomarker candidates. This study aimed to identify a microRNA signature as a non-invasive biomarker and to investigate its impact on glioma biology. METHODS: MicroRNAs were selected using a global expression profile in preoperative serum samples from 37 glioma patients. Comparison between serum samples from age and gender-matched controls was performed by using the droplet digital PCR. The ROC curve and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were used to evaluate the diagnostic/prognostic values. The functional role of the identified signature was assessed by gain/loss of function strategies in glioma cells. RESULTS: A three-microRNA signature (miR-1-3p/-26a-1-3p/-487b-3p) was differentially expressed in the serum of patients according to the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genes mutation status and correlated with both patient Overall and Progression Free Survival. The identified signature was also downregulated in the serum of patients compared to controls. Consistent with these results, the signature expression and release in the conditioned medium of glioma cells was lower in IDH-wild type cells compared to the mutated counterpart. Furthermore, in silico analysis of glioma datasets showed a consistent deregulation of the signature according to the IDH mutation status in glioma tumour tissues. Ectopic expression of the signature negatively affects several glioma functions. Notably, it impacts the glioma invasive phenotype by directly targeting the invadopodia-related proteins TKS4, TKS5 and EFHD2. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a three microRNA signature as a promising complementary or even an independent non-invasive diagnostic/prognostic biomarker. The signature displays oncosuppressive functions in glioma cells and impacts on proteins crucial for migration and invasion, providing potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

Claspin as a biomarker of human papillomavirus-related high grade lesions of uterine cervix.

BACKGROUND: Claspin is a nuclear protein involved in DNA replication and damage response and is a key mediator for the S-phase checkpoint. Claspin expression is significantly high in several human solid tumors. Furthermore, high levels of claspin have been found in cervical cancer cell lines. Nevertheless, no data are available regarding claspin expression in cervical tissues. METHODS: In order to investigate whether claspin immunoreactivity is related to the lesion severity and High-Risk (HR) HPV infection, we analyzed claspin expression by immunohistochemistry in a series of cervical biopsies which represent the steps occurring during cervical carcinogenesis (normal tissues, Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasias 1, 2 and 3, Squamous Cell Carcinomas). All patients also had a cervico-vaginal sample for HPV testing, collected immediately before the colposcopy-guided biopsy. The HR-HPV DNA detection was performed by the HR-HPV Hybrid Capture 2 test. HPV genotyping was performed using the Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test. RESULTS: Our results evidenced a constant and significant increase of the rate of claspin positivity from the normal tissues to carcinomas (pχ2(trend) < 0.0001). In fact, the normal tissues displayed either no or faint claspin immunoreactivity, whereas a moderate/high positivity was observed in 16% of the CIN1, 76% of the CIN2, 87.5% of the CIN3 and 93.3% of the cancers. Moreover, we found a statistically significant correlation between claspin expression and HR-HPV infection (pχ2 < 0.0001), irrespective of the genotype. Finally, we demonstrated the feasibility of claspin immunostaining in cervical cytology. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that in vivo claspin expression is significantly related to HR-HPV infection and lesion grade both in histological and cytological samples. Therefore, the analysis of claspin expression could be clinically relevant in the diagnosis of HPV-related cervical lesions, in particular when applied to cervico-vaginal cytology. Moreover, giving information on the proliferation rate of each lesion, claspin immunostaining may contribute to the evaluation of progression risk, thus being helpful in patient management. Nevertheless, only large prospective studies may clarify the true clinical usefulness of claspin expression in distinguishing lesions with different progression potential.

p16/Ki-67 dual staining in cervico-vaginal cytology: correlation with histology, Human Papillomavirus detection and genotyping in women undergoing colposcopy.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the CINtec PLUS assay (mtm laboratories), a new immunocytochemical method for the simultaneous detection of p16(INK4a) and Ki-67, in liquid-based cervico-vaginal cytology, investigating the association of the dual staining with HPV infection and genotyping as well as cytological and histological abnormalities. METHODS: 140 women with a cervico-vaginal sample obtained immediately before the colposcopy were enrolled. This cytological sample was used for HPV testing with the Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test, the dual staining with the CINtec PLUS kit and the morphology assessment. RESULTS: Cytology results were 38 NILM, 16 ASC-US, 32L-SIL, 54H-SIL or worse. 113 patients also had a colposcopy-guided biopsy, classified as 14 negative, 35 CIN1, 24 CIN2, 37 CIN3, 3 invasive SCC. A strong association between p16/Ki-67 and HR-HPV infection was found (COR=6.86, 95% CI: 1.84-31.14). Importantly, the association between p16/Ki-67 positivity and HPV16 and/or 18 infection was 2-fold stronger compared to that with the infection by other HR-HPV types (COR=9.92, 95% CI: 2.39-47.77 vs COR=4.20, 95% CI: 0.99-20.87). In addition, p16/Ki-67 positivity rate significantly increased with the severity of the cytological and histological abnormalities (p<0.05 in both cases). p16/Ki-67 positivity resulted strongly associated with a CIN2+ diagnosis (COR=10.86 95% CI: 4.16-29.12). CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study evidenced that p16/Ki-67 immunostaining might have a relevant clinical role, since the dual staining was significantly associated with HR-HPV infection, particularly with HPV 16 and 18, and the increasing grade of the cervical lesions, the positivity for this biomarker being strongly related to the presence of a CIN2+ lesion.

Multidrug resistance proteins expression in glioma patients with epilepsy.

Epilepsy occurs in glioma, especially in low-grade glioma (LGG), but also in glioblastoma (GBM). In about 20 % of patients pharmacological treatment with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) fails. Refractory epilepsy is a multifactorial phenomenon not yet completely understood. The multidrug resistance phenotype was initially associated to P-glycoprotein (Pgp), an ATP-dependent transporter belonging to the same superfamily of multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs). Glutathione-S-transferase-π (GST-π) is also involved in refractory epilepsy. In the present work we investigated the expression of Pgp, MRP1, MRP3 and GST-π in surgical specimens obtained from 35 patients with glioma and epilepsy. We observed MRP1 expression in tumor and endothelial cells (EC), MRP3 and Pgp expression mainly in ECs and GST-π predominantly in tumor cells (TC). MRP1 and MRP3 were more expressed in high grade glioma (HGG) than in LGG. In 6 cases we could compare tumor and periphery detecting the same MRP1 and Pgp expression, while MRP3 was mainly expressed in the tumor. We observed a trend of a better outcome in seizure control associated with a lower expression of MRP1 and MRP3. MRP3 was statistically more expressed in TCs of HGG than LGG (p = 0.0401) and more expressed in tumor than in periphery, in agreement with recent works that identify MRP3 as a potential target in GBM. Moreover, MRP3 was investigated in association with refractory epilepsy for the first time in our study and it was less expressed in patients with complete response to AEDs (p = 0.0550). Our preliminary data show an association between multidrug resistance transporters and refractory epilepsy in glioma.