Autopsy findings in cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 show a milder presentation of COVID-19 compared to non-cancer patients.

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, manifests with differing severity across distinct patient subgroups, with outcomes influenced by underlying comorbidities such as cancer, which may cause functional and compositional alterations of the immune system during tumor progression. We aimed to investigate the association of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its complications with cancer in a large autopsy series and the role of COVID-19 in the fatal sequence leading to death. A total of 2641 adult autopsies were investigated, 539 of these were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Among the total number of patients analyzed, 829 had active cancer. Overall, the cohort included 100 patients who simultaneously had cancer and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The course of COVID-19 was less severe in cancer patients, including a significantly lower incidence of viral and bacterial pneumonia, occurring more frequently as a contributory disease or coexisting morbidity, or as SARS-CoV-2 positivity without viral disease. SARS-CoV-2 positivity was more frequent among non-metastatic than metastatic cancer cases, and in specific tumor types including hematologic malignancies. COVID-19 was more frequently found to be directly involved in the fatal sequence in patients undergoing active anticancer therapy, but less frequently in perioperative status, suggesting that the underlying malignancy and consequent surgery are more important factors leading to death perioperatively than viral disease. The course of COVID-19 in cancer patients was milder and balanced during the pandemic. This may be due to relative immunosuppressed status, and the fact that even early/mild viral infections can easily upset their condition, leading to death from their underlying cancer or its complications.

Prognostic Ability of Tumor Budding Outperforms Poorly Differentiated Clusters in Gastric Cancer.

The prognostic value of histological phenomena tumor budding (TB) and poorly differentiated clusters (PDCs) have been less studied in gastric cancer (GAC) and the data provided so far are controversial. In our study, 290 surgically resected GAC cases were evaluated for TB according to the criteria of International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference (ITBCC) and PDC, and both parameters were scored on a three-grade scale as described for colorectal cancer previously (0: Grade0, 1-4: Grade1, 5-9: Grade2 and ≥10: Grade3) and classified as low (Grade0-2) and high (Grade3) TB/PDC. High TB/PDC was associated with diffuse-type morphology, higher pT status, incomplete surgical resection, poor tumor differentiation and perineural and lymphovascular invasion. Multivariable survival analyses have shown an independent prognostic role of high TB with poorer overall survival in the total cohort (p = 0.014) and in intestinal-type adenocarcinomas (p = 0.005). Multivariable model revealed high TB as an independent predictor for lymph node metastasis in both the total cohort (p = 0.019) and in the intestinal type adenocarcinomas (p = 0.038). In contrast to tumor budding, no significant association was found between PDC and the occurrence of lymph node metastasis and tumor stage and even survival. In conclusion, tumor budding is an independent prognostic factor of survival in gastric cancer, especially in intestinal-type adenocarcinomas.

Tick borne relapsing fever - a systematic review and analysis of the literature.

Tick borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is a zoonosis caused by various Borrelia species transmitted to humans by both soft-bodied and (more recently recognized) hard-bodied ticks. In recent years, molecular diagnostic techniques have allowed to extend our knowledge on the global epidemiological picture of this neglected disease. Nevertheless, due to the patchy occurrence of the disease and the lack of large clinical studies, the knowledge on several clinical aspects of the disease remains limited. In order to shed light on some of these aspects, we have systematically reviewed the literature on TBRF and summarized the existing data on epidemiology and clinical aspects of the disease. Publications were identified by using a predefined search strategy on electronic databases and a subsequent review of the reference lists of the obtained publications. All publications reporting patients with a confirmed diagnosis of TBRF published in English, French, Italian, German, and Hungarian were included. Maps showing the epidemiogeographic mosaic of the different TBRF Borrelia species were compiled and data on clinical aspects of TBRF were analysed. The epidemiogeographic mosaic of TBRF is complex and still continues to evolve. Ticks harbouring TBRF Borrelia have been reported worldwide, with the exception of Antarctica and Australia. Although only molecular diagnostic methods allow for species identification, microscopy remains the diagnostic gold standard in most clinical settings. The most suggestive symptom in TBRF is the eponymous relapsing fever (present in 100% of the cases). Thrombocytopenia is the most suggestive laboratory finding in TBRF. Neurological complications are frequent in TBRF. Treatment is with beta-lactams, tetracyclines or macrolids. The risk of Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (JHR) appears to be lower in TBRF (19.3%) compared to louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) (55.8%). The overall case fatality rate of TBRF (6.5%) and LBRF (4-10.2%) appears to not differ. Unlike LBRF, where perinatal fatalities are primarily attributable to abortion, TBRF-related perinatal fatalities appear to primarily affect newborns.