Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio Correlates With Carcinoma Progression in Pancreatic Intra Epithelial Neoplasia.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) is the most common precursor lesion to pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Yet no criteria to quantify patients at risk for progression to PDAC with PanIN exist. Platelet to lymphocyte ratio is an inflammatory marker that has been associated with overall survival in patients with invasive malignancies including pancreatic cancer. Preoperative sarcopenia has been linked to more aggressive diseases in pancreatic neoplasms. We aimed to assess a relation between PLR and sarcopenia as predictors for tumor progression in patients undergoing pancreatic resection for IPMN. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 102 patients (46 females, 56 males) who underwent pancreatic resection for PanIn. PLR was calculated and quantified using a cutoff of 110, sarcopenia was quantified using the skeletal muscle index (SMI) on preoperative abdominal imaging. Both were co-evaluated with additional demographic, clinical, pathological, and imaging data for possible correlation with PanIN associated PDAC. RESULTS: PLR was significantly elevated in patients with PanIN - associated PDAC (p=0.006). In the multivariate analysis, invasive carcinomas were significantly more prevalent in patients with PLR above 110 (OR=4.06, 95%CI=3.91-4.12, p=0.04). Patients with elevated PLR had a two-times higher risk to die in the postoperative period (HR=2.26, 95%CI=1.04-2.21, p=0.001). Patients with elevated PLR, preoperative jaundice and sarcopenia were the most likely to have PanIN-associated PDAC (OR=3.48, 95%CI=2.98-8.41, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: PLR is an independent predictive marker for the presence of PanIN associated invasive carcinoma.

Merkel cell carcinoma in situ: A systematic review of prognosis and management.

BACKGROUND: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare primary cutaneous neuroendocrine tumour. While dermally invasive MCC is known to have a five-year survival of only 30-40%, the prognosis and management of MCC in situ (MCCis) is not widely reported. OBJECTIVE: We present a systematic review to elucidate the prognosis and management of MCCis. METHODS: We performed a systematic review, searching three databases to 01 June 2021. Case reports, cohort studies, clinical trials and literature reviews were considered for inclusion. RESULTS: We identified 26 cases of MCCis published in the literature with a median age of 74 years and involving 19 males and 7 females. Most cases were on the face and neck (n = 17), followed by upper limb (n = 8) and lower limb (n = 1). Sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed in three patients, and all were negative. One subject underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. No MCCis-associated deaths were reported. CONCLUSION: This review suggests that MCCis has an excellent prognosis with minimal, if any, risk of mortality and a very low risk of dermal invasion and recurrence when treated with wide local excision alone. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is unlikely to be useful for MCCis.

Impact of clinical and pathological subtypes of carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the bladder: Lessons learned from long-term follow-up of a series of CIS patients treated with BCG.

OBJECTIVE: Some attempts have previously been made to stratify patients with CIS for the purpose of risk-adapted clinical management and clinical trial design. In particular, two classification systems have been proposed: clinical classification, comprising primary (P-CIS), concomitant (C-CIS), and secondary (S-CIS) disease, and pathological classification, comprising P-CIS, cTa-CIS, and cT1-CIS. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of both classifications on BCG response, recurrence-free survival (RFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 386 patients with bladder CIS, with or without associated cTa/cT1 disease, treated with BCG instillations between 2008 and 2015. Patients were stratified according to the two classification systems. Cox multivariate regression models were used to assess the impact of these subtypes on BCG response, RFS, PFS, OS, and CSS. We also performed a cumulative meta-analysis according to PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 70.5 months. According to the clinical classification, 34 (8.8%) patients had P-CIS, 81 (21%) S-CIS, and 271 (70.2%) C-CIS. The pathological classification showed 34 (8.8%) patients to have P-CIS, 190 (49.2%) cTa-CIS, and 162 (42%) cT1-CIS. In the overall cohort, BCG response was reported in 296 (76.7%); 159 (41.2%) had recurrence, 55 (14.2%) had progression, and 67 (17.4%) underwent radical cystectomy. Death from any cause was recorded in 135 (35%) and death from urothelial carcinoma in 38 (9.9%). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that neither clinical classification nor pathological classification is an independent predictive factor for BCG response, RFS, PFS, OS, or CSS after adjusting for confounders. In the pooled meta-analysis, two studies and the present series were included for evidence synthesis, recruiting a total of 941 patients. We found no statistically significant difference across the groups for both classifications with respect to BCG response, RFS, PFS, and CSS. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, the supporting evidence for an impact of clinical classification and pathological classification on oncological outcomes of CIS of the bladder is insufficient to justify their use to guide clinical management or follow-up.

Population-based analysis of the prevalence of BRAF mutation in patients diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma and its significance as a prognostic factor.

The prevalence of BRAF mutation has been reported in between 38% and 48% of melanoma patients, based on mainly Stage III or metastatic melanoma, however, information based on population-based studies is scarce. We performed a population-based retrospective cohort study to determine the prevalence of the BRAF mutation in patients diagnosed with in situ and infiltrating cutaneous malignant melanoma in the province of Girona between 2009 and 2011. Using the database of the Girona Cancer Registry, we performed BRAF mutation analysis based on paraffin-embedded tissue. This data was then correlated with other known clinical and histological prognostic factors for survival. We found 286 incident cases of cutaneous melanoma in the Girona Cancer Registry database. Excluding missing cases, BRAF-mutated patients constituted 38.9% of "in situ" melanoma cases and 53.8% of invasive melanoma cases. Five-year relative survival was not statistically different between BRAF-mutated patients (93.6%; 95% CI: 87.1-100.5) and non-mutated patients (84.3%, 95% CI: 75.3-94.8). Only stage was significant as a prognostic factor for survival based on multivariate analysis. From our population-based study, we conclude that BRAF mutation is not an independent prognostic factor for melanoma survival.

Transforming acidic coiled-coil protein-3: a novel marker for differential diagnosis and prognosis prediction in endocervical adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Endocervical adenocarcinoma (ECA) is further classified as human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated (HPVA) or non-HPVA (NHPVA), per the International Endocervical Adenocarcinoma Criteria and Classification (IECC). HPVA is a glandular tumor with stromal invasion and/or exophytic expansile-type invasion, associated with the typical molecular characteristics of high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection. Transforming acidic coiled-coil protein-3 (TACC3),an oncogene that is frequently abnormally expressed,represents a vital biomarker for multiple human malignancies. This study aimed to examine the role of TACC3 in the diagnosis and prognosis of ECA. METHODS: We analyzed 264 patients with ECA who underwent surgical resection, classifying their tumors into HPVA and NHPVA subtypes. The expression levels of TACC3, P16, MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, MSH6 and Ki-67 in tumors were evaluated by tissue microarray using immunohistochemistry (IHC). HPV subtypes were identified in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) ECA tissues by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: ECA samples showed increased TACC3 expression relative to adjacent non-carcinoma samples. TACC3 expression was higher in HPVA than in NHPA. In the HPVA subtype, high TACC3 expression was significantly correlated with P16-positive, Ki-67-high expression. Furthermore, TACC3 levels were significantly related to tumor histological type (P = 0.006), nerve invasion (P = 0.003), differentiation (P = 0.004), surgical margin (P = 0.012), parametrium invasion (P = 0.040), P16 expression (P < 0.001), and Ki-67 (P = 0.004). Additionally, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that TACC3 upregulation was associated with poor overall survival (OS, P = 0.001), disease-free survival (DFS, P < 0.001), and recurrence survival (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that elevated TACC3 expression served as a marker to independently predict ECA prognosis. ROC curve analyses indicated that TACC3, P16, and HPV subtypes showed similar utility for distinguishing HPVA from NHPVA, with areas under the ROC curves of 0.640, 0.649, and 0.675, respectively. The combination of TACC3 and HPV subtypes improved the diagnostic performance of ECA compared with TACC3, P16, and HPV subtypes alone. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings identify that TACC3 is a promising complementary biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis for patients with ECA.

Cancer-specific survival by stage of bladder cancer and factors collected by Mallorca Cancer Registry associated to survival.

BACKGROUND: Information about survival by stage in bladder cancer is scarce, as well as about survival of non-invasive bladder cancer. The aims of this study are: 1) to find out the distribution of bladder cancer by stage; 2) to determine cancer-specific survival by stage of bladder cancer; 3) to identify factors that explain and predict the likelihood of survival and the risk of dying from these cancers. METHODS: Incident bladder cancer cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2011 were identified through the Mallorca Cancer Registry. INCLUSION CRITERIA: cases with code C67 according to the ICD-O 3rd edition with any behaviour and any histology, except lymphomas and small cell carcinomas. Cases identified exclusively through the death certificate were excluded. We collected the following data: sex; age; date and method of diagnosis; histology according to the ICD-O 3rd edition; T, N, M and stage at the time of diagnosis; and date of follow-up or death. End point of follow-up was 31 December 2015. Multiple imputation (MI) was performed to estimate cases with unknown stage. Cases with benign or indeterminate behaviour were excluded for the survival analysis. Actuarial and Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression models were used for survival analysis. RESULTS: One thousand nine hundred fourteen cases were identified. 14% were women and 65.4% were 65 years or older. 3.9% had no stage (benign or undetermined behaviour) and 11.5% had unknown stage. After MI, 37.5% were in stage Ta (non-invasive papillary carcinoma), 3.2% in stage Tis (carcinoma in situ), 34.3% in stage I, 11.7% in Stage II, 4.3% in stage III, and 9.0% in stage IV. Survival was 76% at 5 years. Survival by stage: 98% at stage Ta, 90% at stage Tis, 85% at stage I, 45% at stage II, 35% at stage III, and 7% at stage IV. The Cox model showed that age, histology, and stage, but not sex, were associated with survival. CONCLUSION: Bladder cancer survival vary greatly with stage, among both non-invasive and invasive cases. The percentage of non-invasive cancers is high. Stage, age, and histology are associated to survival.

Pathological Features and Imaging Findings in Pancreatic Carcinoma In Situ.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the pathological features and imaging findings of pancreatic carcinoma in situ (PCIS). METHODS: Twenty patients with PCIS were categorized as flat (F) (n = 6) and low papillary (LP) (n = 14) types. RESULTS: None of F type and 8 (57%) of 14 with LP type lesions showed intraductal infiltrations of the main pancreatic duct (MPD) greater than 10 mm. None of F type and 3 (21%) of 14 with LP type lesions showed skip lesions in the MPD. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed irregular MPD stenoses in 5 (83%) of 6 with F and 13 (100%) of 13 with LP type lesions. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography determined that the median lengths of the irregular MPD stenoses were 3.6 mm for F, and 11.6 mm for LP type lesions. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography determined that the median lengths of the irregular MPD stenoses were 2.8 mm for F, and 14.3 mm for LP type lesions. Pancreatic cancer recurrences limited to the remnant pancreas occurred in 2 patients with LP type lesions. CONCLUSIONS: In LP type PCIS, intraductal infiltration of the MPD occurs frequently. There may be multiple lesions, and lesions may recur in the remnant pancreas. Long-term strict follow-up assessments should be implemented for LP type PCIS.

Intratumoral heterogeneity of surrogate molecular subtypes in urothelial carcinoma in situ of the urinary bladder: implications for prognostic stratification of high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Reliable factors predicting the disease course of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS) are unavailable. Molecular subtypes have potential for prognostic stratification of muscle-invasive bladder cancer, while their value for CIS patients is unknown. Here, the prognostic impact of both clinico-pathological parameters, including CIS focality, and immunohistochemistry-based surrogate subtypes was analyzed in a cohort of high-risk NMIBC patients with CIS. In 128 high-risk NMIBC patients with CIS, luminal (KRT20, GATA3, ERBB2) and basal (KRT5/6, KRT14) surrogate markers as well as p53 were analyzed in 213-231 biopsies. To study inter-lesional heterogeneity of CIS, marker expression in independent CIS biopsies from different bladder localizations was analyzed. Clinico-pathological parameters and surrogate subtypes were correlated with recurrence-free (RFS), progression-free (PFS), cancer-specific (CSS), and overall survival (OS). Forty-six and 30% of CIS patients exhibited a luminal-like (KRT20-positive, KRT5/6-negative) and a null phenotype (KRT20-negative, KRT5/6-negative), respectively. A basal-like subtype (KRT20-negative, KRT5/6-positive) was not observed. A significant degree of inter-lesional CIS heterogeneity was noted, reflected by 23% of patients showing a mixed subtype. Neither CIS surrogate subtype nor CIS focality was associated with patient outcome. Patient age and smoking status were the only potentially independent prognostic factors predicting RFS, PFS, OS, and PFS, respectively. In conclusion, further clarification of heterogeneity of surrogate subtypes in HR NMIBC and their prognostic value is of importance with regard to potential implementation of molecular subtyping into clinical routine. The potential prognostic usefulness of patient age and smoking status for high-risk NMIBC patients with CIS needs further validation.

Recurrence and Mortality of Melanoma In Situ of the Trunk or Extremities: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies demonstrate comparable outcomes of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) versus local excision (LE) for melanoma in situ. These studies are limited by their focus on the head and neck. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to compare 5-year overall and melanoma-specific mortality among patients with melanoma in situ of the trunk or extremities who undergo MMS versus LE. The secondary objective was to compare 5-year local recurrence among the same cohort of patients who undergo MMS versus LE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2000-2015) was queried to identify patients who underwent MMS versus LE for melanoma in situ of the trunk, upper extremities, or lower extremities. Outcomes were 5-year recurrence, melanoma-specific mortality, and overall mortality. Multivariable regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Thirty three thousand nine hundred eighty-three patients underwent surgical treatment (MMS 3%; LE 97%). In adjusted analyses, there was no difference in local recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] 1.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56-1.78), melanoma-specific mortality (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.12-6.47), nor overall mortality (HR 1.10, 95% CI 0.82-1.48) between MMS versus LE. CONCLUSION: There is no difference of 5-year local recurrence, melanoma-specific mortality, nor overall mortality associated with MMS versus LE for melanoma in situ of the trunk or extremities.

Intravesical nadofaragene firadenovec gene therapy for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a single-arm, open-label, repeat-dose clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: BCG is the most effective therapy for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Nadofaragene firadenovec (also known as rAd-IFNa/Syn3) is a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus that delivers human interferon alfa-2b cDNA into the bladder epithelium, and a novel intravesical therapy for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. We aimed to evaluate its efficacy in patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. METHODS: In this phase 3, multicentre, open-label, repeat-dose study done in 33 centres (hospitals and clinics) in the USA, we recruited patients aged 18 years or older, with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status of 2 or less. Patients were excluded if they had upper urinary tract disease, urothelial carcinoma within the prostatic urethra, lymphovascular invasion, micropapillary disease, or hydronephrosis. Eligible patients received a single intravesical 75 mL dose of nadofaragene firadenovec (3 × 1011 viral particles per mL). Repeat dosing at months 3, 6, and 9 was done in the absence of high-grade recurrence. The primary endpoint was complete response at any time in patients with carcinoma in situ (with or without a high-grade Ta or T1 tumour). The null hypothesis specified a complete response rate of less than 27% in this cohort. Efficacy analyses were done on the per-protocol population, to include only patients strictly meeting the BCG-unresponsive definition. Safety analyses were done in all patients who received at least one dose of treatment. The study is ongoing, with a planned 4-year treatment and monitoring phase. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02773849. FINDINGS: Between Sept 19, 2016, and May 24, 2019, 198 patients were assessed for eligibility. 41 patients were excluded, and 157 were enrolled and received at least one dose of the study drug. Six patients did not meet the definition of BCG-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer and were therefore excluded from efficacy analyses; the remaining 151 patients were included in the per-protocol efficacy analyses. 55 (53·4%) of 103 patients with carcinoma in situ (with or without a high-grade Ta or T1 tumour) had a complete response within 3 months of the first dose and this response was maintained in 25 (45·5%) of 55 patients at 12 months. Micturition urgency was the most common grade 3-4 study drug-related adverse event (two [1%] of 157 patients, both grade 3), and there were no treatment-related deaths. INTERPRETATION: Intravesical nadofaragene firadenovec was efficacious, with a favourable benefit:risk ratio, in patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This represents a novel treatment option in a therapeutically challenging disease state. FUNDING: FKD Therapies Oy.

Correlation of size and focality with prognosis in small breast carcinoma: a single institution case series.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The clinical behavior and prognosis of small multifocal and microinvasive breast cancers are still debated together with the best method of assessing tumor size in multiple invasive carcinomas. This study evaluates the clinico-pathological features of single and multiple breast cancers up to 0.5 cm in order to evaluate the rate of recurrences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 170 node-negative patients consecutively treated at European Institute of Oncology from 2001 to 2006. We divided them into Group I (pT1mi) and Group II (pT1a) furtherly divided in subgroups, according to focality and aggregate diameter. For each group we assessed tumor size, (multi)focality, extensive in situ component (EIC), histology, grade, peritumoral vascular invasion (PVI), hormonal receptor status (HR), HER-2 expression, Ki67 expression. RESULTS: We observed that the frequency of local recurrences and distant metastases in group I was higher among those with a single focus; whereas in group II, it was higher in multifocal carcinomas. Then, by comparing the two groups, the prognosis was better in multiple pT1mi than in similarly sized unifocal pT1a. CONCLUSIONS: Microinvasive carcinomas are associated with a good prognosis, even if they seem to have a more aggressive intrinsic biological behavior. Multifocality seems to be correlated with a worse prognosis in case of invasive carcinomas pT1a. In case of microinvasive carcinomas, by contrast, multifocality per se does not seem to affect the recurrence rate.

Effect of Fluorescence Visualization-Guided Surgery on Local Recurrence of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: High local recurrence rates with aggressive disease remain the main concern in oral cancer survival. Use of a translational device using fluorescence visualization (FV) approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, has shown a marked reduction in the 3-year local recurrence rate of high-grade oral lesions in a single-center observational study. Objective: To determine whether FV- guided surgery can improve local control rates in the treatment of in situ or T1 to T2 category oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Design, Setting, and Participants: A multicenter randomized clinical trial was conducted in a surgical setting. A total of 457 patients were enrolled between January 18, 2010, and April 30, 2015. Data analysis of the intention-to-treat population was performed from April 3, 2019, to March 20, 2020. Patients with histologically confirmed high-grade dysplasia/carcinoma in situ or T1 to T2 category OSCC were randomized to receive traditional peroral surgery or FV-guided surgery. Intervention: Fluorescence visualization during surgery. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was local recurrence of OSCC. Secondary outcomes were failure of the first-pass margin, defined as a histologically confirmed positive margin for severe dysplasia or greater histologic change of the main specimen (ie, not the margins taken from the resection bed), regional or distant metastasis, and death due to disease. Results: Of the 457 patients enrolled in the study, 443 patients (264 [59.6%] men; mean [SD] age, 61.5 [13.3] years) completed the randomized treatment: 227 FV-guided and 216 non-FV guided surgery. The median follow-up was 52 (range, 0.29-90.8) months. In total, 45 patients (10.2%) experienced local recurrence. The 3-year local recurrence rate was 9.4% in the FV-guided group and 7.2% in the non-FV group (difference, 2.2%; 95% CI, -3.2% to 7.4%). Other similarities between the FV vs non-FV groups included failure of first-pass margin (68/227 [30.0%]) vs 65/216 [30.1%]), regional failure (39/227 [17.2%] vs 37/216 [17.1%]), disease-specific survival (23/227 [10.1%] vs 19/26 [8.8%]), and overall survival (41/227 [18.1%] vs 38/216 [17.6%]) were also similar between groups. No adverse events were judged to be related to the intervention. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, FV-guided surgery did not improve local control rates in the treatment of patients with in situ or T1 to T2 category oral cancer. Under a controlled environment, FV-guided surgery did not have an evident effect in reduction of local recurrence for localized OSCC. This result suggests that attention be directed to strategies other than improving definitions of nonapparent disease at clinical margins to identify the sources of local recurrence. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrial.gov Identifier: NCT01039298.

Mucinous cystic neoplasms of the pancreas in the modern era. Experience with 707 patients.

BACKGROUND: Mucinous Cystic Neoplasms are mucin producing cysts of the pancreas with malignant potential. The existing literature on treatment outcomes is limited to relatively small surgical series. METHODS: We reviewed the National Cancer Database assessing the outcomes of patients with mucinous cystic neoplasms between 2004 and 2016. Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test were used to make survival comparisons. RESULTS: A total of 707 patients were identified; 492(69.6%) underwent pancreatectomies. The majority of patients were women (71.4%), with median age 65 years (range: 22-90). Most common operation was partial pancreatectomy ie distal (48.4%) whereas 21.7% underwent a Whipple. Patients who were not operated were more frequently stage IV (40%) whereas patients who were operated had more frequently invasive adenocarcinoma (74.8%). Patients who underwent pancreatectomy had better survival compared to these who didn't undergo surgery (81.4 vs 6.6 months; p < 0.001). Comparing patients who underwent pancreatectomy and had invasive disease versus patients who had in situ disease the former were older (median age 62 vs 55.5 years p = 0.004) and more frequently men (26.1 vs 16.1%; p = 0.03), however they had similar tumor size (5.5 vs 7 cm respectively; p = 0.14) and similar tumor differentiation (moderately differentiated 50% vs 38.1%; p = 0.49). Patients with non-invasive (in situ) disease had prolonged survival compared to these with invasive disease (median OS not reached vs 50.2months; p < 0.001). After Cox proportional hazard regression nodal positive disease was the most important factor of decreased survival for invasive adenocarcinoma (HR: 2.2; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with adenocarcinoma arising from a mucinous cystic neoplasm of the pancreas have excellent survival when they undergo pancreatectomy especially if the disease is still in situ. However, 3/4 of patients who undergo resection have already developed invasive adenocarcinoma and nodal status dominates their prognosis. Advanced age but not the size of the cyst correlate with the presence of invasive disease.

Evaluation of antioxidant network proteins as novel prognostic biomarkers for head and neck cancer patients.

OBJECTIVES: Recurrence rates for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) approach 50% at 5 years. Current staging fails to identify patients with a worse prognosis who might benefit from intensified treatment, which warrants improved prognostic biomarkers. The purpose of this retrospective case study is to identify potential prognostic biomarkers in patients with HNSCC including APE1 (DNA repair/redox gene regulator), NRF2 and PPARGC1A (redox gene regulators), SOD3 and DCN (antioxidant proteins). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Differential protein expression between benign, carcinoma in situ (CIS), and invasive HNSCC tissue specimens from 77 patients was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Protein expression was analyzed with multivariate, pair-wise, and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses to identify potential prognostic biomarkers. Utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas's transcriptome database, pair-wise and survival analysis was performed to identify potential prognostic biomarkers. RESULTS: APE1, NRF2, PPARGC1A, SOD3, and DCN expression in HNSCC in relation to, lymph node invasion, and patient survival were examined. Elevated APE1 protein expression in CIS corresponded with reduced survival (p = 0.0243). Increased APE1 gene expression in stage T4a HNSCC was associated with reduced patient survival (p < 0.015). Increased PPARGC1A in invasive tumor correlated with reduced survival (p = 0.0281). Patients with lymph node invasion at diagnosis had significantly increased APE1 protein in the primary sites (p < 0.05). Patients with poorly differentiated invasive tumors had reduced PPARGC1A in CIS proximal to the invasive tumor and had elevated DCN and SOD3 in proximal benign tissue (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of APE1, DCN, and SOD3 is a potential prognostic signature that identifies patients with worsened survival.

The clinical significance of oestrogen receptor expression in breast ductal carcinoma in situ.

BACKGROUND: Oestrogen receptor (ER) in invasive breast cancer (BC) predicts response to endocrine therapy (ET) and provides prognostic value. In this study, we investigated the value of ER expression in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in terms of outcome and the impact on ET decision. METHODS: In total, 643 pure DCIS, diagnosed at Nottingham University Hospitals, were assessed for ER. Clinicopathological data were correlated against ER status, together with assessment of recurrence rate. RESULTS: ER positivity was observed in 74% (475/643) of cases. ER positivity was associated with clinicopathological variables of good prognosis; however, outcome analysis revealed that ER status was not associated with local recurrence. In the intermediate- and high-grade ER-positive DCIS, 58% (11/19) and 63% (15/24) of the recurrences were invasive, respectively, comprising 7% and 6% of all ER-positive DCIS, respectively. Invasive recurrence in low-grade DCIS was infrequent (2%), and none of these patients died of BC. The ER status of the recurrent invasive tumours matched the primary DCIS ER status (94% in ipsilateral and 90% of contralateral recurrence). CONCLUSION: The strong correlation between DCIS and invasive recurrence ER status and the clinical impact of ET justify discussion of the use of ET in ER-positive DCIS treated by breast-conserving surgery. The excellent outcome of low-grade DCIS, which was almost always ER-positive, does not, in the opinion of authors, justify the use of risk-reducing ET. Therefore, the decision on ET for DCIS should be personalised and consider grade, ER status and other characteristics.

Endoplasmic Reticulum stress-dependent expression of ERO1L promotes aerobic glycolysis in Pancreatic Cancer.

Rationale: Endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase 1 alpha (ERO1L) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) luminal glycoprotein that has a role in the formation of disulfide bonds of secreted proteins and membrane proteins. Emerging data identify ERO1L as a tumor promoter in a wide spectrum of human malignancies. However, its molecular basis of oncogenic activities remains largely unknown. Methods: Pan-cancer analysis was performed to determine the expression profile and prognostic value of ERO1L in human cancers. The mechanism by which ERO1L promotes tumor growth and glycolysis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was investigated by cell biological, molecular, and biochemical approaches. Results: ERO1L was highly expressed in PDAC and its precursor pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and acts as an independent prognostic factor for patient survival. Hypoxia and ER stress contributed to the overexpression pattern of ERO1L in PDAC. ERO1L knockdown or pharmacological inhibition with EN460 suppressed PDAC cell proliferation in vitro and slowed tumor growth in vivo. Ectopic expression of wild type ERO1L but not its inactive mutant form EROL-C394A promoted tumor growth. Bioinformatics analyses and functional analyses confirmed a regulatory role of ERO1L on the Warburg effect. Notably, inhibition of tumor glycolysis partially abrogated the growth-promoting activity of ERO1L. Mechanistically, ERO1L-mediated ROS generation was essential for its oncogenic activities. In clinical samples, ERO1L expression was correlated with the maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) in PDAC patients who received 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging preoperatively. Analysis of TCGA cohort revealed a specific glycolysis gene expression signature that is highly correlated with unfolded protein response-related gene signature. Conclusion: Our findings uncover a key function for ERO1L in Warburg metabolism and indicate that targeting this pathway may offer alternative therapeutic strategies for PDAC.

Time trends in the incidence and survival of vaginal squamous cell carcinoma and high-grade vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia in Denmark - A nationwide population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe trends in incidence of high-grade vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN) and vaginal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in Denmark. For vaginal SCC, we also examine 5-year relative survival and mortality. METHODS: All high-grade VaIN cases diagnosed 1997-2017 and vaginal SCCs during 1978-2017 were identified in two high-quality nationwide registers. Age-standardized incidence rates and average annual percentage change (AAPC) were assessed. For vaginal SCC, 5-year relative survival was calculated, and Cox regression was applied to study the effect of selected characteristics on mortality. RESULTS: Altogether, 831 cases of high-grade VaIN and 721 vaginal SCCs were identified. The age-standardized incidence rate of high-grade VaIN showed no clear trend over time. However, when we stratified by age and divided the study period according to HPV vaccine licensure in Denmark (2006), the incidence of high-grade VaIN decreased significantly by 15.6% per year (95% CI: -23.2, -7.3%) after 2007 onwards among the youngest women (<30 years). For vaginal SCC, the incidence decreased from 0.5 (1978-1982) to 0.3 (2013-2017) per 100,000 woman-years. The 5-year relative survival improved over time and was 67.9% (95% CI: 54.9, 84.1%) in the most recent time period. Mortality was significantly associated with calendar year, age, and stage at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The overall incidence of high-grade VaIN showed no clear trend over time, but a significant decline was observed in women younger than 30 years after HPV vaccine licensure. The incidence of vaginal SCC was reduced by approximately 50% and survival after vaginal SCC improved over time.

Concomitant carcinoma in situ as a prognostic factor in the upper tract urothelial carcinoma after radical nephroureterectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Some excised specimens of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) are concomitant carcinoma in situ (CIS). However, whether concomitant CIS affects the prognosis of UTUC is controversial. The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive association between CIS and the prognosis of UTUC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase were searched to identify clinical studies about CIS and UTUC before July 2019. Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the quality of the literature. We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs to evaluate the relationship between concomitant CIS and survival outcomes. Z test was used to pooled HRs, if P < 0.05, the difference was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Total of 7,852 patients with UTUC were included, of which 1,004 (12.79%) concomitant CIS. In univariate analysis, our meta-analysis shows that concomitant CIS is associated with worse cancer-specific survival (HR: 1.54; P < 0.00001), worse recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR: 1.42; P < 0.00001) and worse overall survival (OS; HR: 1.41; P = 0.04). In multivariate analysis, concomitant CIS is associated with worse cancer-specific survival (HR: 1.25; P = 0.004), worse recurrence-free survival (HR: 1.24; P = 0.006), and worse OS (HR: 1.12; P = 0.25), however, there was no statistical difference in the effect of CIS on OS (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis shows that concomitant CIS is associated with worse survival outcomes in UTUC after radical nephroureterectomy. CIS is an independent prognostic risk factor in UTUC.

Dissecting expression profiles of gastric precancerous lesions and early gastric cancer to explore crucial molecules in intestinal-type gastric cancer tumorigenesis.

Intestinal-type gastric cancer (IGC) has a clear and multistep histological evolution. No studies have comprehensively explored gastric tumorigenesis from inflammation through low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN) and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) to early gastric cancer (EGC). We sought to investigate the characteristics participating in IGC tumorigenesis and identify related prognostic information within the process. RNA expression profiles of 94 gastroscopic biopsies from 47 patients, including gastric precancerous lesions (GPL: LGIN and HGIN), EGC, and paired controls, were detected by Agilent Microarray. During IGC tumorigenesis from LGIN through HGIN to EGC, the number of activity-changed tumor hallmarks increased. LGIN and HGIN had similar expression profiles when compared to EGC. We observed an increase in the stemness of gastric epithelial cells in LGIN, HGIN, and EGC, and we found 27 consistent genes that might contribute to dedifferentiation, including five driver genes. Remarkably, we perceived that the immune microenvironment was more active in EGC than in GPL, especially in the infiltration of lymphocytes and macrophages. We identified a five-gene signature from the gastric tumorigenesis process that could independently predict the overall survival and disease-free survival of GC patients (log-rank test: p < 0.0001), and the robustness was verified in an independent cohort (n > 300) and by comparing with two established prognostic signatures in GC. In conclusion, during IGC tumorigenesis, cancer-like changes occur in LGIN and accumulate in HGIN and EGC. The immune microenvironment is more active in EGC than in LGIN and HGIN. The identified signature from the tumorigenesis process has robust prognostic significance for GC patients. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Trends of gallbladder cancer incidence, mortality, and diagnostic approach in urban Shanghai between 1973 and 2009.

PURPOSE: To describe and interpret secular time trends in gallbladder cancer (GBC) incidence, mortality, and diagnostic approach using 37 years of cancer registry data in urban Shanghai. METHODS: Data on registration of GBC in urban Shanghai during 1973 and 2009 were collected by the Shanghai Cancer Registry. To describe time trends and to identify specific time points when significant changes occurred, we used joinpoint regression analysis. RESULTS: The age-standardized rates (ASRs) of incidence increased from 1.1/100,000 (1973-1975) to 2.9/100,000 (2006-2009) in men and from 1.7/100,000 (1973-1975) to 3.9/100,000 (2006-2009) in women. ASRs of incidence increased significantly with estimated annual percent changes (EAPCs) of 2.8% in men and 2.5% in women. The mortality trends increased significantly, with EAPCs of 2.8% in men and 2.5% in women. The increasing incidence and mortality rates were primarily observed in men ⩾60 years of age and in women ⩾70 years of age. Notable downward trends in incidence and mortality were identified among women age 60-69 years over the last decade. The percentage of GBC diagnosed by pathology increased steadily over the years while the percentage of GBC diagnosed by imaging, surgery, and biochemistry sharply increased from 1987 onwards. CONCLUSIONS: Thirty-seven years of cancer registry data document a tremendous increase in incidence/mortality and a slight decline in incidence/mortality over the last decades for GBC, especially among women, in Shanghai. The development of diagnostic approaches and aging population may play important roles.