Invasive stratified mucin-producing carcinoma (ISMC) of the cervix: a clinicopathological and molecular analysis of 59 cases with special emphasis on histogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.

AIMS: This study aimed to better characterize the clinical and molecular features in invasive stratified mucin-producing carcinoma (ISMC), an uncommon aggressive subtype of endocervical adenocarcinoma (EAC). METHODS AND RESULTS: We recruited 59 ISMC for clinicopathological analysis, immunohistochemistry (n = 56), and targeted next-generation sequencing (n = 17). Our cases contained 29 pure and 30 mixed-type ISMC. Five patients developed local recurrence at 6-32 months (median: 13 months), and died of disease at 16-55 months (median: 16 months). Pure and mixed-type ISMC showed no significant difference in overall survival and tumour relapse (P > 0.05) except larger tumour size in the pure-type (P = 0.009). Compared to the usual-type EAC (n = 217), ISMsC were more frequently associated with large tumour size (P = 0.003), advanced FIGO stage (P = 0.017), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.022), Silva pattern C (P < 0.001), and poor overall survival and short tumour recurrence. SOX2 expression was observed in 82.1% (46/56) ISMC, substantially higher than p63 expression (P < 0.001), while positive SOX17 was present in 3.6% (2/56) cases. PD-L1 was positive in 41/56 ISMC (73.21%) (combined positive score: range: 1-92, median: 22). Three ISMC patients (17.65%) had PIK3CA mutations, while one each (5.88%) patient harboured an ERBB2, TP53, STK11, and PTEN mutation, respectively. CONCLUSION: We conclude that ISMC is clinically more aggressive than the usual-type EAC. ISMC may originate from cervical reserve cells with bidirectional differentiation. PD-L1 overexpression and the molecular profiles raise the possibility that a subset of ISMC patients may benefit from anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy and other targeted therapy, such as mTOR inhibitor and T-DM1.

The emerging roles of circular RNAs in vessel co-option and vasculogenic mimicry: clinical insights for anti-angiogenic therapy in cancers.

Unexpected resistance to anti-angiogenic treatment prompted the investigation of non-angiogenic tumor processes. Vessel co-option (VC) and vasculogenic mimicry (VM) are recognized as primary non-angiogenic mechanisms. In VC, cancer cells utilize pre-existing blood vessels for support, whereas in VM, cancer cells channel and provide blood flow to rapidly growing tumors. Both processes have been implicated in the development of tumor and resistance to anti-angiogenic drugs in many tumor types. The morphology, but rare molecular alterations have been investigated in VC and VM. There is a pressing need to better understand the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. Here, we review the emerging circular RNA (circRNA)-mediated regulation of non-angiogenic processes, VC and VM.

circFBXO7/miR-96-5p/MTSS1 axis is an important regulator in the Wnt signaling pathway in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: CircRNAs are a novel class of evolutionarily conserved noncoding RNA molecules that form covalently closed continuous loop structures without 5' caps and 3' poly(A) tails. Accumulating evidence suggests that circRNAs play important regulatory roles in cancer and are promising biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as targets for cancer therapy. In this study, we identify and explore the role of a novel circRNA, circFBXO7, in ovarian cancer. METHODS: rRNA-depleted RNA-sequencing was performed to identify differentially expressed circRNAs between ovarian cancerous and normal tissues. qRT-PCR and single-molecule RNA in-situ hybridization was used to quantify circFBXO7 expression in tumor tissues. The association of circFBXO7 expression with patient prognosis was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The biological function of circFBXO7 was also investigated using loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays in vivo and in vitro. Luciferase reporter and TOP/FOP-Flash reporter assays were then conducted together with RNA immunoprecipitation and western blot to assess the circFBXO7/miR-96-5p/MTSS1/Wnt/ß-catenin axis. RESULTS: circFBXO7 was downregulated in ovarian cancer which was associated with poor prognosis. Biologically, circFBXO7 overexpression significantly suppressed ovarian cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo, whereas its knockdown exerted an opposite role. Mechanistically, circFBXO7 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-96-5p to regulate the expression of MTSS1. Consequently, downregulation of MTSS1 led to excessive accumulation of ß-catenin and increased phosphorylation of GSK3ß, leading to the translocation of ß-catenin to the nucleus, thereby activating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and ultimately promoting ovarian cancer progression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that circFBXO7 acts as a bone fide tumor suppressor in ovarian cancer and that the circFBXO7/miR-96-5p/MTSS1 axis is an important regulator in the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway which may provide a promising target for ovarian cancer therapy.

Grading of endocervical adenocarcinoma: a novel prognostic system based on tumor budding and cell cluster size.

A novel 3-tiered grading system based on tumor budding activity and cell nest size has been validated to be highly prognostic in organ-wide squamous cell carcinomas. In this study, we applied a similar grading system with slight modification to assess the prognostic value in an institutional cohort of well annotated endocervical adenocarcinomas (EAC) consisting of 398 consecutive cases with surgical resection, no neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and higher than stage pT1a. Each case was reviewed by the International Endocervical Adenocarcinoma Criteria and Classification (IECC) and Silva pattern classification, and scored on tumor budding activity and cell cluster size to form the basis of a novel grading system. High budding activity, small tumor cell cluster size, and novel grade 3 were more frequently associated with a decreased overall survival time and tumor recurrence time (p < 0.001), and several other clinicopathologic factors including HPV-independent adenocarcinoma, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, advanced FIGO stage, and Silva pattern C (p < 0.05). Moreover, the novel grading system was helpful in stratifying overall survival in HPV-associated adenocarcinoma (p = 0.036) and gastric-type adenocarcinoma (p = 0.033). On multivariate analysis, novel grade 3 was an adverse indicator for overall survival and tumor recurrence independently of age and FIGO stage (p < 0.05). By comparison, Silva pattern C was only associated with tumor relapse (p = 0.020) in HPV-associated adenocarcinomas whereas the conventional FIGO system was not associated with overall survival and tumor recurrence in EAC (p > 0.05). In conclusion, our study demonstrates that the grading system based on tumor budding activity and cell cluster size is robust in prognostic assessment that outperforms the conventional FIGO grading and Silva pattern classification in EAC. The novel grading system, if further validated, could be applicable in routine pathologic descriptions of EAC by providing useful information in clinical decision-making.

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia with extrauterine metastasis but lacked uterine primary lesions: a single center experience and literature review.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics, diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes of a special type of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) which only has extrauterine metastases without uterine primary lesions. METHODS: The medical records and pathological sections of the patients who were pathologically diagnosed as GTN, only had extrauterine metastatic lesions but lacked uterine primary lesions, in Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from February 2014 to March 2021 were collected and reviewed. RESULTS: Thirteen patients with pathologically confirmed GTN presenting with extrauterine metastases from a missing primary site were included in the past 7 years. The median age was 31.2 years old. 76.9% of patients had a non-hydatidiform pregnancy last time. The intervals between the antecedent pregnancy were > 12 months in 61.5% of patients. Pretreatment serum human chorionic gonadotropin(hCG) levels ranged from 118.7 to 807,270 IU/L. Six patients were misdiagnosed as ectopic pregnancy at initial diagnosis, and 4 as primary tumors at metastatic sites. All of them were diagnosed definitely by surgical pathology including 8 choriocarcinomas (CC), 4 epithelioid trophoblastic tumors (ETTs), and 1 mixed GTN (CC mixed with ETT). All patients achieved complete remission (CR) after treatments. Three patients relapsed; no patient died by the end of follow-up. CONCLUSION: GTN presenting with extrauterine metastases from a missing primary site is easily misdiagnosed. Detection of serum hCG in these patients can reduce misdiagnosis. Chemotherapy combined with individualized surgery should be considered for these special GTN patients. Immune checkpoint inhibitors might be potential remedial measures for refractory and recurrent patients.

Ovarian Metastasis by Gastric-type Endocervical Adenocarcinoma: A Clinicopathologic Description of 12 Cases.

Cervical gastric-type adenocarcinoma has a propensity for ovarian metastasis, but the clinicopathologic findings and possible routes of tumor spread have not been well characterized to date. To address these points, we reported 12 cervical gastric-type adenocarcinomas with ovarian metastases from a single institution. Seven patients with gastric-type adenocarcinoma had concurrent endometrial fallopian tube involvement, 5 of which showed tumors confined to the fallopian tube mucosa. Two of these 5 patients died of disease at 2 and 16 mo, and 1 recurred at 18 mo. In the remaining 5 patients, 3 had wide pelvic/peritoneal spread while the other 2 showed no evidence of uterine or tubal involvement. Among them, 1 died of disease at 94 mo, and another relapsed at 20 mo. Morphologically, ovarian tumors frequently had surface involvement consistent with metastasis, but also mimicked a primary tumor with a mixture of benign/borderline/intraepithelial carcinoma-like areas, as well as carcinoma with expansile or destructive stromal invasion. The tubal lesions were predominantly in the form of mucosal colonization without invasion of the underlying structures. Block p16 and high-risk human papillomavirus mRNA signals were not detected in cervical gastric-type adenocarcinomas and ovarian metastatic tumors. We conclude that fallopian tube spread may be associated with ovarian metastasis of cervical gastric-type adenocarcinomas that have bad clinical outcomes. Ovarian involvement may be a part of the aggressive nature of these tumors.

Integrated analysis of virus and host transcriptomes in cervical cancer in Asian and Western populations.

Race may influence vulnerability to HPV variants in viral infection and perisistence. Integrated analysis of the virus and host transcriptomes from different populations provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand these racial disparities in the prevalence of HPV and cervical cancers. We performed RNA-Seq analysis of 90 tumors and 39 adjacent normal tissues from cervical cancer patients at Zhejiang University (ZJU) in China, and conducted a comparative analysis with RNA-Seq data of 286 cervical cancers from TCGA. We found a modestly higher rate of HPV positives and HPV integrations in TCGA than in ZJU. In addition to LINC00393 and HSPB3 as new common integration hotspots in both cohorts, we found new hotspots such as SH2D3C and CASC8 in TCGA, and SCGB1A1 and ABCA1 in ZJU. We described the first, to our knowledge, virus-transcriptome-based classification of cervical cancer associated with clinical outcome. Particularly, patients with expressed E5 performed better than those without E5 expression. However, the constituents of these virus-transcriptome-based tumor subtypes differ dramatically between the two cohorts. We further characterized the immune infiltration landscapes between different HPV statuses and revealed significantly elevated levels of regulatory T cells and M0 macrophages in HPV positive tumors, which were associated with poor prognosis. These findings increase our understanding of the racial disparities in the prevalence of HPV and its associated cervical cancers between the two cohorts, and also have important implications in the classification of tumor subtypes, prognosis, and anti-cancer immunotherapy in cervical cancer.

Plasma-derived exosomal miR-15a-5p as a promising diagnostic biomarker for early detection of endometrial carcinoma.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a major cause of death among gynecologic malignancies. To improve early detection of EC in patients, we carried out a large plasma-derived exosomal microRNA (miRNA) studies for diagnostic biomarker discovery in EC. Small RNA sequencing was performed to identify candidate exosomal miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers in 56 plasma samples from healthy subjects and EC patients. These miRNA candidates were further validated in 202 independent plasma samples by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), 32 pairs of endometrial tumors and adjacent normal tissues by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and matched plasma samples of 12 patients before and after surgery by ddPCR. miR-15a-5p, miR-106b-5p, and miR107 were significantly upregulated in exomes isolated from plasma samples of EC patients compared with healthy subjects. Particularly, miR-15a-5p alone yielded an AUC value of 0.813 to distinguish EC patients with stage I from healthy subjects. The integration of miR-15a-5p and serum tumor markers (CEA and CA125) achieved a higher AUC value of 0.899. There was also a close connection between miR-15a-5p and clinical manifestations in EC patients. Its exosomal expression was not only associated with the depth of muscular infiltration and aggressiveness of EC, but also correlated with levels of reproductive hormones such as TTE and DHEAS. Collectively, plasma-derived exosomal miR-15a-5p is a promising and effective diagnostic biomarker for the early detection of endometrial cancer.

The potential oncogenic and MLN4924-resistant effects of CSN5 on cervical cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: CSN5, a member of Cop9 signalosome, is essential for protein neddylation. It has been supposed to serve as an oncogene in some cancers. However, the role of CSN5 has not been investigated in cervical cancer yet. METHODS: Data from TCGA cohorts and GEO dataset was analyzed to examine the expression profile of CSN5 and clinical relevance in cervical cancers. The role of CSN5 on cervical cancer cell proliferation was investigated in cervical cancer cell lines, Siha and Hela, through CSN5 knockdown via CRISPR-CAS9. Western blot was used to detect the effect of CSN5 knockdown and overexpression. The biological behaviors were analyzed by CCK8, clone formation assay, 3-D spheroid generation assay and cell cycle assay. Besides, the role CSN5 knockdown in vivo was evaluated by xenograft tumor model. MLN4924 was given in Siha and Hela with CSN5 overexpression. RESULTS: We found that downregulation of CSN5 in Siha and Hela cells inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and the inhibitory effects were largely rescued by CSN5 overexpression. Moreover, deletion of CSN5 caused cell cycle arrest rather than inducing apoptosis. Importantly, CSN5 overexpression confers resistance to the anti-cancer effects of MLN4924 (pevonedistat) in cervical cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that CSN5 functions as an oncogene in cervical cancers and may serve as a potential indicator for predicting the effects of MLN4924 treatment in the future.

A clinicopathological and molecular analysis of cervical carcinomas with basaloid features.

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between adenoid basal carcinoma (ABC), adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the uterine cervix. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed the clinicopathological and molecular features in two pure ABCs, 15 SCCs with ABC-/ACC-like features and seven basaloid SCCs (BSCCs) by chart review, immunohistochemistry, human papillomavirus (HPV) RNA in-situ hybridisation and fluorescence in-situ hybridisation. All patients were alive with no evidence of disease, except for one patient with ACC-like features who died of disease at 18 months post diagnosis. The mixed carcinomas comprised variable SCCs and ABC-/ACC-like components displaying vague transitional zones. All components consistently showed diffuse p16, p63 and SOX2, variable cytokeratin (CK)7 and CK17 and rare Ber-EP4 and MYB expression; there was a substantially lower Ki67 index in pure ABCs and the ABC-like components. The ACC-like components showed no myoepithelial differentiation (SMA, calponin and S100) and MYB gene fusions. CK7, CK17 and Ber-EP4 were characteristically stronger in BSCCs than in the mixed carcinomas (P < 0.01). High-risk HPV (HR-HPV) E6/E7 mRNA was detected in 12 mixed carcinomas and seven BSCCs, but not in pure ABCs. The HR-HPV mRNA expression was higher in the SCC components and BSCCs than in the ABC-like components of mixed carcinomas (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The ACC-like components in mixed carcinomas probably represent the morphological mimics of salivary ACCs. ABC-like components may be the potential precursor of the ACC-like and SCC components. HR-HPV oncogenes may play a role in the pathogenesis of SCCs with ABC-/ACC-like features.

The crosstalk between circular RNAs and the tumor microenvironment in cancer metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Carcinomas are highly heterogeneous with regard to various cancer cells within a tumor microenvironment (TME), which is composed of stromal cells, blood vessels, immunocytes, and modified extracellular matrix. FOCUS OF THE STUDY: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that are expressed in cancer and stromal cells. They are closely associated with cancer metastasis as their expression in tumor cells directs the latter to migrate to different organs. circRNAs packaged in exosomes might be involved in this process. This is particularly important as the TME acts in tandem with cancer cells to enhance their proliferation and metastatic capability. In this review, we focus on recent studies on the crosstalk between circRNAs and the TME during cancer metastasis. CONCLUSION: We particularly emphasize the roles of the interaction between circRNAs and the TME in anoikis resistance, vessel co-option, and local circRNA expression in directing homing of exosome.

Exosomal let-7d-3p and miR-30d-5p as diagnostic biomarkers for non-invasive screening of cervical cancer and its precursors.

Cervical cancer screening through detection and treatment of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is most successful in cancer prevention. However, the accuracy of the current cervical cancer screening tests is still low. The aim of this study was to develop a more accurate method based on circulating exosomal miRNAs. The miRNA sequencing was performed to identify candidate exosomal miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers in 121 plasma samples from healthy volunteers, cervical carcinoma patients, and CIN patients. A panel with eight differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs was identified to distinguish patients in the CIN II+ group (including advanced CIN II patients) from those in the CIN I- group (including CIN I patients and healthy volunteers). Let-7d-3p and miR-30d-5p showed significant difference between cervical tumors and adjacent normal tissues (P < 0.005), exhibited a consistent trend in plasma samples, and were further validated in 203 independent plasma samples. Integrating these two miRNAs yielded an AUC value of 0.828 to distinguish patients in CIN II+ group from those in CIN I- group. Further integrating them into a cytological test-based model resulted in a higher AUC of 0.887, while the AUC value based on the cytological test alone was 0.766. In summary, plasma exosomal miR-30d-5p and let-7d-3p are valuable diagnostic biomarkers for non-invasive screening of cervical cancer and its precursors. Further validation using large sample sizes is required for clinical diagnosis.

Long noncoding RNA LCAT1 functions as a ceRNA to regulate RAC1 function by sponging miR-4715-5p in lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as key players in the development and progression of cancer. However, the biological role and clinical significance of most lncRNAs in lung carcinogenesis remain unclear. In this study, we identified and explored the role of a novel lncRNA, lung cancer associated transcript 1 (LCAT1), in lung cancer. METHODS: We predicted and validated LCAT1 from RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data of lung cancer tissues. The LCAT1-miR-4715-5p-RAC1 axis was assessed by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Signaling pathways altered by LCAT1 knockdown were identified using RNA-seq. Furthermore, the mechanism of LCAT1 was investigated using loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: LCAT1 is an oncogene that is significantly upregulated in lung cancer tissues and associated with poor prognosis. LCAT1 knockdown caused growth arrest and cell invasion in lung cancer cells in vitro, and inhibited tumorigenesis and metastasis in the mouse xenografts. Mechanistically, LCAT1 functions as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-4715-5p, thereby leading to the upregulation of the activity of its endogenous target, Rac family small GTPase 1 (RAC1). Moreover, EHop-016, a small molecule inhibitor of RAC1, as an adjuvant could improve the Taxol monotherapy against lung cancer cells in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: LCAT1-miR-4715-5p-RAC1/PAK1 axis plays an important role in the progression of lung cancer. Our findings may provide valuable drug targets for treating lung cancer. The novel combination therapy of Taxol and EHop-016 for lung cancer warrants further investigation, especially in lung cancer patients with high LCAT1 expression.

CircPLEKHM3 acts as a tumor suppressor through regulation of the miR-9/BRCA1/DNAJB6/KLF4/AKT1 axis in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence has shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play essential roles in cancer biology and are potential biomarkers and targets for cancer therapy. However, the expression and function of circRNAs in ovarian carcinogenesis and its progression remain elusive. METHODS: RNA sequencing was performed to reveal circRNA expression profiles in ovarian cancerous and normal tissues. Single-molecule RNA in-situ hybridization was used to quantify circPLEKHM3 expression in tumor tissues. Cell-based in-vitro and in-vivo assays were subsequently conducted to support the clinical findings. RESULTS: CircPLEKHM3 was identified as one of the most significantly down-regulated circRNAs in ovarian cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. Its expression was further decreased in peritoneal metastatic ovarian carcinomas compared to primary ovarian carcinomas. Patients with lower circPLEKHM3 tend to have a worse prognosis. Functionally, circPLEKHM3 overexpression inhibited cell growth, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, whereas its knockdown exerted an opposite role. Further analyses showed that circPLEKHM3 sponged miR-9 to regulate the endogenous expression of BRCA1, DNAJB6 and KLF4, and consequently inactivate AKT1 signaling. In addition, AKT inhibitor MK-2206 could block the tumor-promoting effect of circPLEKHM3 depletion, and potentiate Taxol-induced growth inhibition of ovarian cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that circPLEKHM3 functions as a tumor suppressor in ovarian cancer cells by targeting the miR-9/BRCA1/DNAJB6/KLF4/AKT1 axis and may be used as a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target in ovarian cancer patients. The new strategy for treating ovarian cancer by a combination therapy of Taxol with MK-2206 is worth further investigation, especially in ovarian cancer patients with loss of circPLEKHM3 expression.

A comprehensive evaluation of alignment software for reduced representation bisulfite sequencing data.

Motivation: The rapid development of next-generation sequencing technology provides an opportunity to study genome-wide DNA methylation at single-base resolution. However, depletion of unmethylated cytosines brings challenges for aligning bisulfite-converted sequencing reads to a large reference. Software tools for aligning methylation reads have not yet been comprehensively evaluated, especially for the widely used reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) that involves enrichment for CpG islands (CGIs). Results: We specially developed a simulator, RRBSsim, for benchmarking analysis of RRBS data. We performed extensive comparison of seven mapping algorithms for methylation analysis in both real and simulated RRBS data. Eighteen lung tumors and matched adjacent tissues were sequenced by the RRBS protocols. Our empirical evaluation found that methylation results were less consistent between software tools for CpG sites with low sequencing depth, medium methylation level, on CGI shores or gene body. These observations were further confirmed by simulations that indicated software tools generally had lower recall of detecting these vulnerable CpG sites and lower precision of estimating methylation levels in these CpG sites. Among the software tools tested, bwa-meth and BS-Seeker2 (bowtie2) are currently our preferred aligners for RRBS data in terms of recall, precision and speed. Existing aligners cannot efficiently handle moderately methylated CpG sites and those CpG sites on CGI shores or gene body. Interpretation of methylation results from these vulnerable CpG sites should be treated with caution. Our study reveals several important features inherent in methylation data, and RRBSsim provides guidance to advance sequence-based methylation data analysis and methodological development. Availability and implementation: RRBSsim is a simulator for benchmarking analysis of RRBS data and its source code is available at https://github.com/xwBio/RRBSsim or https://github.com/xwBio/Docker-RRBSsim. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Cervical Adenoid Basal Carcinoma: Clinicopathologic Features of 9 Cases With Reference to CK17 and Ki-67 Expression.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to clarify the histological features of adenoid basal carcinoma (ABC) and determine whether cytokeratin 17 (CK17) and Ki-67 can facilitate the differential diagnosis of ABC from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine cases of pure ABC were collected from the files of the Division of Pathology at the Zhejiang University Hospital Women's School of Medicine. For comparison, 20 cases of moderately to poorly differentiated cervical SCC, including 2 of basaloid SCC, were also retrieved from the same period. Blocks were recut, reread, and immunostained for CK17 and Ki-67. RESULTS: Morphologically, ABCs were mainly composed of small basaloid cell nests and variable squamous differentiation foci. For immunohistochemical staining, 1 of 9 cases showed diffuse CK17 staining, 5 of 9 showed focal positive staining, and 3 of 9 showed negative staining in the basaloid cell area of ABC, whereas no CK17 expression was found in ABC squamous foci. Eighteen of the 20 invasive SCCs showed diffuse CK17 staining, and 2 showed focal staining. The Ki-67 proliferative index varied in different ABC areas, with a relatively high index in squamous differentiation foci and a low index in basaloid cell areas. In contrast, Ki-67 staining was unevenly intense in SCC. CONCLUSIONS: Adenoid basal carcinoma had characteristic morphological features, and the differential diagnosis of ABC from SCC is usually simple, based on morphology. In select cases, when histological findings are equivocal, the loss of CK17 expression in the squamous differentiation area, and a lower Ki-67 index in basal cell foci support ABC diagnosis.

Pregnant outcomes of atypical polypoid adenomyoma treated with progestin therapy.

AIM: We aimed to investigate the long-term clinical and pregnancy outcome in patients with atypical polypoid adenomyoma (APA) after hysteroscopic excision. METHODS: We analyzed the clinicopathological features, including pregnancy outcomes, in 10 APA patients who had been treated with hysteroscopic excision of the lesion and progesterone therapy. RESULTS: The patients were all nulliparous, and nine had been clinically diagnosed as infertile. There were five patients with complex endometrial hyperplasia at the time of initial diagnosis, two of them had had recurrence of complex hyperplasia, and there was another one who had had complex hyperplasia 18 months after initial diagnosis. The patients had been treated with polypectomy under hysteroscopy and a long-term progestin therapy. They had achieved complete regression, but four had a recurrent or persistent disease. Two patients had eventually undergone hysterectomy due to endometrial carcinoma at 102 months (patient 2) or persisting complex atypical hyperplasia at 131 months (patient 5) after initial diagnosis. All patients were alive with no evidence of disease during a follow-up period of 19-145 months. Seven patients had succeeded in pregnancy with nine live births. Three pregnancies had been achieved by in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. CONCLUSION: Fertility-sparing surgery under hysteroscopy with progesterone therapy and appropriate assistant reproduction technology is an alternative option for young APA patients. However, close follow-up is required for these patients.

MicroRNA and Long Non-Coding RNA in Ovarian Carcinoma: Translational Insights and Potential Clinical Applications.

Reliable biomarkers for the detection of early ovarian carcinoma are currently unavailable. MicroRNA and long non-coding RNA may be important in cancer initiation and progression by regulating gene expression through post-transcriptional mechanisms. MicroRNAs, such as miR-26a and miR-132, have been investigated as novel biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring of therapeutic response, and therapeutic targets in ovarian carcinomas. Some long non-coding RNAs, such as H19 and UCA1, may be involved in the pathogenesis of ovarian carcinomas. MicroRNA and long non-coding RNA have potential clinical utility in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer and predicting prognosis, metastasis, recurrence, and response to therapy.

Clinicopathologic Analysis of Postchemotherapy Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia: An Entity Overlapping With Epithelioid Trophoblastic Tumor.

Surgery is generally not required for the majority of gestational trophoblastic neoplasias (GTNs) because they are potentially curable by chemotherapy alone. The histologic assessment is rarely available although the identification of a specific subtype of GTN is relevant to clinical intervention and prognostic prediction. In this study, we analyzed the clinicopathologic features of 4 postchemotherapy GTNs. They presented as a persistent uterine (Cases 1, 2, and 3) or pelvic mass (Case 4) with a raised serum ß-hCG level after multiple courses of chemotherapy. All patients were alive without evidence of disease at follow-up periods of 58 to 109 mo after surgery and salvage chemotherapy except for Case 4 which had a recurrent pelvic mass. These GTNs had a characteristic histopathologic pattern of extensive necrosis and a rim of scant viable mononucleated tumor cells at the periphery of the lesion. Immunostaining showed that these tumor cells had a lower Ki67 index than choriocarcinoma, and epithelioid trophoblastic cell tumor although they exhibited an epithelioid trophoblastic cell tumor-like immunostaining pattern (CD146, hPL, and p63). A small number of ß-hCG-positive multinucleated trophoblastic cells were also present in 3 of the 4 cases. We suggest that these postchemotherapy GTNs may represent a "snap shot" of the hypothetical choriocarcinoma-epithelioid trophoblastic cell tumor transition. Our findings should provide insights into the pathogenesis of GTNs.

Iatrogenic parasitic leiomyoma and leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata following uterine morcellation.

AIM: To assess the impact of morcellation on the spread of uterine leiomyoma. METHODS: Cases of parasitic leiomyoma involving prior laparoscopy were collected between 2012 and 2015 in a tertiary women's hospital in China. Their clinicopathological features and the associated reports were reviewed. RESULTS: All six patients with parasitic leiomyoma had laparoscopic myomectomy or hysterectomy with power morcellation 39-132 months previously. Patient 1 had widely disseminated tumors in the peritoneum and pelvis, in keeping with leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata (LPD). She received debulking of peritoneal tumors and lived with disease for 22 months. The implanting sites of the other parasitic tumors (patients 2-6) included the mesentery (n = 2), intestine (n = 1), pelvic parietal (n = 1), bladder (n = 1), and musculus rectus abdominis (n = 1). The diameter varied from 1 cm to 6 cm. The patients underwent abdominal subtotal hysterectomy, cervicectomy or tumor debulking and the postoperative course was unremarkable for a period of 2-32 months. Pathologically, these disseminated or parasitic leiomyomas did not show any evidence of malignancy. There were no morphological or immunohistochemical differences between the original tumor and the following seeding tumors. On literature review, 11 iatrogenic LPD have been reported after laparoscopic surgery for uterine leiomyoma. These cases may provide an alternative pathogenic mechanism for a distinct variant of LPD. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic hysterectomy with tumor morcellation may increase the chance of tumor implantation and dissemination. Both clinicians and pathologists should be alert to this rare complication.