Comprehensive clinicopathological, molecular, and methylation analysis of mesenchymal tumors with NTRK and other kinase gene aberrations.

Alterations in kinase genes such as NTRK1/2/3, RET, and BRAF underlie infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS), the emerging entity 'NTRK-rearranged spindle cell neoplasms' included in the latest WHO classification, and a growing set of tumors with overlapping clinical and pathological features. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive clinicopathological and molecular analysis of 22 cases of IFS and other kinase gene-altered spindle cell neoplasms affecting both pediatric and adult patients. Follow-up periods for 16 patients ranged in length from 10 to 130 months (mean 38 months). Six patients were treated with targeted therapy, achieving a partial or complete response in five cases. Overall, three cases recurred and one metastasized. Eight patients were free of disease, five were alive with disease, and two patients died. All cases showed previously reported morphological patterns. Based on the cellularity and level of atypia, cases were divided into three morphological grade groups. S100 protein and CD34 were at least focally positive in 12/22 and 14/22 cases, respectively. Novel PWWP2A::RET, NUMA1::RET, ITSN1::RAF1, and CAPZA2::MET fusions, which we report herein in mesenchymal tumors for the first time, were detected by RNA sequencing. Additionally, the first uterine case with BRAF and EGFR mutations and CD34 and S100 co-expression is described. DNA sequencing performed in 13 cases uncovered very rare additional genetic aberrations. The CNV profiles showed that high-grade tumors demonstrate a significantly higher percentage of copy number gains and losses across the genome compared with low- and intermediate-grade tumors. Unsupervised clustering of the tumors' methylation profiles revealed that in 8/9 cases, the methylation profiles clustered with the IFS methylation class, irrespective of their clinicopathological or molecular features. © 2024 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Discordant ALK Status in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma: A Detailed Reevaluation Comparing IHC, FISH, and NGS Analyses.

ALK detection was performed on 2813 EGFR-unmutated NSCLC cases by simultaneous use of immunohistochemistry (VENTANA® anti-ALK D5F3, Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., Rotkreuz, Switzerland) and fluorescence in situ hybridization with the ALK break apart and the ALK/EML4 fusion probe (ZytoVision, Bremerhaven, Germany). A total of 33 cases were positive discordant (FISH-positive, IHC-negative) and 17 cases were negative discordant (FISH-negative, IHC-positive). This study's aim was to reevaluate the methods used and compare discordant samples to positive concordant samples in order to ellucidate the differences. FISH signal variants were examined and compared. Positive discordant cases featured one pattern of ALK rearrangement in 41.4%, two patterns in 48.3%, and three patterns in 10.3% of analysed samples, with a higher variability of detected patterns and a higher number of ALK copy gains. Positive concordant cases displayed one pattern of rearrangement in 82%, two patterns in 17.8%, and three patterns in 0.6% of analysed samples. The association between number of patterns and concordance/discordance was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Eleven positive discordant and two negative concordant cases underwent NGS analysis, which resulted in identification of ALK fusion in one positive discordant and two negative discordant cases. Positive protein expression regardless of FISH result correlated more with a positive NGS result compared to samples with a positive FISH result with negative protein expression. FISH analysis was able to detect atypical or heterogenous patterns of rearrangement in a proportion of cases with negative protein expression, which may be associated with more extensive genetic alterations rather than true ALK rearrangement.

Desmoplasia in non-small cell lung carcinomas is associated with low programmed death-ligand 1 expression and the absence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is the most widely utilized predictive marker used to identify non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients most suitable for immunotherapy approaches. The relationship between PD-L1 expression, the presence of CD8+ T cells, and other clinicopathological characteristics of NSCLC patients has not been elucidated yet. In this retrospective study, we immunohistochemically determined PD-L1 expression (using clone 22C3) and CD8+ T cell count (using clone c8/144B) in surgical resection specimens from 698 advanced NSCLC patients. Results of PD-L1 expression and CD8+ T cell count were correlated to various clinicopathological characteristics, including the presence of desmoplasia in NSCLC. Regarding the immunological attributes of the tumor microenvironment, we identified major differences between desmoplastic and non-desmoplastic areas in NSCLC. Tumor areas without desmoplasia were significantly more often PD-L1 positive than tumor cell clusters encased in a dense collagenous stroma (p=0.004). Furthermore, the desmoplastic stroma contained significantly less often an immune cell infiltrate rich in CD8+ T cells (p<0.001). Also, the positivity of PD-L1 significantly correlated with advanced N-stage (p<0.001) and poor differentiation in adenocarcinomas (p=0.032) but not with other clinicopathological characteristics. In conclusion, to our knowledge, this is the first study that points to major differences in terms of immunological attributes between desmoplastic and non-desmoplastic areas in NSCLC. The desmoplastic component, therefore, may represent an immunologically distinct tumor area in which PD-L1 immunohistochemistry and CD8+ T cell count should be evaluated separately.

High-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements: Biopsy analysis of 70 cases from the Slovak Lymphoma Registry.

We performed a twelve-year retrospective analysis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients' biopsies with rearrangements of genes MYC, BCL2, and/or BCL6, commonly referred to as double-hit and triple-hit high-grade B-cell lymphomas (DH/TH HGBL). Our aim was to present complex characteristics of the DH/TH HGBL group of patients diagnosed in the Slovak National Lymphoma Register together with the evaluation of the relationship between immunohistochemical (IHC) protein expressions of c-myc, bcl2, bcl6, and cyclin D1 in tissue specimens and the presence of rearrangements of their protein-coding genes by FISH analysis in order to find a clinically relevant diagnostic algorithm that would be the most time- and cost-efficient. For this study, a standard panel of histomorphological, IHC, and FISH methods was used to analyze the characteristics of 70 DH/TH HGBL patients' biopsies. Our study showed a predominance of the immunohistochemical GCB subtype over the non-GCB subtype (59:10 cases) in DH/TH lymphomas. The centroblastic morphology was the most commonly observed (30/70 cases; 43%). Furthermore, our study showed a high predominance of DH lymphoma cases with simultaneous MYC and BCL2 genes rearrangements (40/70; 57%), followed by an almost equal incidence of DH lymphomas with rearrangements of MYC and BCL6 genes (16/70; 23%) and of TH lymphomas (14/70; 20%). 15 of 16 FISH-examined DLBCL cases were negative for CCND1 rearrangement. A great majority of DH/TH cases showed also immunohistochemical overexpression of corresponding proteins (62/70; 89%), mostly in a form of triple expressor of c-myc/bcl2/bcl6 proteins (36/70; 51%), followed by c-myc/bcl2 and c-myc/bcl6 double expressor proteins positivity (20/70 and 6/70, respectively). Comparing preferential FISH testing of DE/TE and GCB DLBCL cases for genetic rearrangements we would be able to detect 89% and 84% of our HGBL-DH, TH group of patients, respectively. None of the examined methods for economically rational FISH testing showed enough concordance with IHC analysis results. We might, therefore, advocate the complex testing of all DLBCL patients' biopsies including FISH analyses.

Establishment of PANDA - a new human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell line with 3D cell culture technology.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive type of malignancy with one of the worst prognoses amongst any type of cancer. Surgery is applicable only to the limited number of patients with locally resectable tumors and currently represents the only curative treatment option. Treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy can only extend patient survival. Despite advances in conventional therapies, the five-year survival of PDAC remained largely unchanged. New in vitro and in vivo models are therefore urgently needed to investigate this type of cancer. Here, we present the establishment and characterization of a novel pancreatic cancer cell line, isolated from a patient with PDAC. Cell line abbreviated as PANDA (PANncreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma) was established with an optimized 3D culture protocol published previously by our group. The new cancer cell line "PANDA" represents a novel in vitro approach for PDAC cancer research and new therapy testing.

Novel BRAF gene fusions and activating point mutations in spindle cell sarcomas with histologic overlap with infantile fibrosarcoma.

Infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS)/cellular congenital mesoblastic nephroma (cCMN) commonly harbors the classic ETV6-NTRK3 translocation. However, there are recent reports of mesenchymal tumors with IFS-like morphology harboring fusions of other receptor tyrosine kinases or downstream effectors, including NTRK1/2/3, MET, RET, and RAF1 fusions as well as one prior series with BRAF fusions. Discovery of these additional molecular drivers contributes to a more integrated diagnostic approach and presents important targets for therapy. Here we report the clinicopathologic and molecular features of 14 BRAF-altered tumors, of which 5 had BRAF point mutations and 10 harbored one or more BRAF fusions. Of the BRAF fusion-positive tumors, one harbored two BRAF fusions (FOXN3-BRAF, TRIP11-BRAF) and another harbored three unique alternative splice variants of EPB41L2-BRAF. Tumors occurred in ten males and four females, aged from birth to 32 years (median 6 months). Twelve were soft tissue based; two were visceral including one located in the kidney (cCMN). All neoplasms demonstrated ovoid to short spindle cells most frequently arranged haphazardly or in intersecting fascicles, often with collagenized stroma and a chronic inflammatory infiltrate. No specific immunophenotype was observed; expression of CD34, S100, and SMA was variable. To date, this is the largest cohort of BRAF-altered spindle cell neoplasms with IFS-like morphology, including not only seven novel BRAF fusion partners but also the first description of oncogenic BRAF point mutations in these tumors.

High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma and detection of inactivated BRCA genes from biopsy material of Slovak patients.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of mortality among all gynecological cancers in developed countries and its most common and most lethal type is the high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC). At the molecular level, nearly half of all HGSCs exhibit ineffective homologous DNA recombination and disruption of DNA damage/repair pathway inactivation caused often by BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation. Recently, the detection of BRCA1/2 mutations became important for personalized treatment of HGSC patients with the PARP-inhibitors in the defined clinical setting of relapse after positive adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapeutic response. Based on the selection of patients by regional oncologists, we attempted to verify the possibilities of BRCA1/2 mutation testing on archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsy material from regional hospitals. In the study we used: a/ FFPE tumor resections of 97 patients sent to our laboratory, originally stored in archives of regional departments for a period of 1-3 years and retrieved on the principle to contain a maximum of non-necrotic tumor tissue, b/ next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay covering all known mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes on MiSeq (Illumina® platform), and c/ Sophia DDM® bioinformatics platform. After processing of FFPE samples, 5 cases were excluded due to the insufficient genomic DNA quantity. Bioinformatics results of NGS analyses of 92 patients' samples indicated 17.39% pathogenic mutations and 32.61% potentially pathogenic mutations in genes BRCA1/2. Overall, 50% pathogenic and potentially pathogenic mutations were detected in the patient's cohort. The relatively high incidence of BRCA1/2 mutations in our series may be influenced by various indicators including the selection of patients based on adjuvant therapy response as well as regional or population heterogeneity in their frequency. Based on the interdisciplinary cooperation, the use of archival biopsy material processed primarily and stored for a longer period in different laboratories without uniformly defined pre-analytical conditions allows identifying the HGSC patients who might better respond to the PARP-inhibition therapy.

Detection of therapeutically relevant and concomitant rare somatic variants in colorectal cancer.

In colorectal cancer (CRC), clinically relevant biomarkers are known for genome-guided therapy that can be detected by both first and next generation methods. The aim of our work was to introduce a robust NGS assay that will be able to detect, in addition to standard predictive single nucleotide-based biomarkers, even rare and concomitant clinically relevant variants. Another aim was to identify truncating mutations in APC and pathogenic variants in TP53 to divide patients into potentially prognostic groups. A multigene panel with hotspots in 50 cancer-critical genes was used. Finally, 86 patients diagnosed with primary or metastatic colorectal cancer were enrolled. In total, there were identified 163 pathogenic variants, among them in the genes most recurrent mutated in CRC such as TP53 (49%), the RAS family genes KRAS and NRAS (47%), APC (43%), and PIK3CA (15%). In 30 samples, two driver mutations were present in one sample, 11 patients were without any mutations covered by this panel. In one patient, a novel variant in BRAF p.D594E was found, not previously seen in CRC, and was concomitant with KRAS p.G12A. In KRAS, a potentially sensitive mutation to anti-EGFR therapy p.A59T was found along with the PIK3CA missense variant p.E545K. It was possible to divide patients into groups based on the occurrence of truncating APC variant alone or concomitant with TP53 or KRAS. Our results demonstrate the potential of small multigene panels that can be used in diagnostics for the detection of rare therapeutically relevant variants. Moreover, the division of patients into groups based on the presence of APC and TP53 mutations enables this panel to be used in retrospective studies on the effectiveness of treatment with anti-EGFR inhibitors.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Countries of Central and Southeastern Europe: Diagnostic Procedures and Treatment Reimbursement Surveyed by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group.

This article analyzes the availability of different diagnostic procedures of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the reimbursement landscape of drugs for NSCLC in countries of central and southeastern Europe (CEE). A survey was conducted by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group. Results of the survey show that both availability and reimbursement of diagnoses of molecular alterations in NSCLC, the detection of which is essential for therapeutic decisions, varies widely between countries of CEE. Not only is "reflex" testing often substituted by analyses performed only "on demand," but reimbursement of such assessments varies widely between unavailability and payments by the health care system or even pharmaceutical companies. It was concluded that a structured access to testing and reimbursement should be the aim in order to provide patients with appropriate therapeutic options. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This article provides an overview of the limitations in lung cancer treatment in countries of central and southeastern Europe, as well as the reimbursement status of various lung cancer treatment regimens in these countries, which directly impacts treatment options.

Differential mRNA expression of the main apoptotic proteins in normal and malignant cells and its relation to in vitro resistance.

BACKGROUND: Apoptosis plays an important role in the development and homeostasis of multicellular organisms and its deregulation may result in many serious diseases, including cancer. Now it is clear that some oncogenic mutations disrupt apoptosis, leading to tumour initiation, progression or metastasis. Here, expression of apoptotic genes in context of drug resistance was investigated. METHODS: We examined total of 102 samples from leukemic patients (n = 60) and patients with solid tumours (n = 42). We used RT-PCR to determine the levels of mRNA expression and the in vitro chemoresistance of leukemic cells was evaluated using the MTT assay. RESULTS: We found statistically significant increase in mRNA expression of all investigated proteins (p53, BAX, Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL) between the leukemia samples and leukocytes from healthy volunteers. We did not find any significant difference in mRNA levels among the solid tumour samples. Notably, we showed a significant positive correlation in both leukemic and solid tumour patient groups between p53 and BAX mRNA. We found that the highest values for the Bcl-2/BAX ratio were in solid tumours in comparison to leukemic cells or normal leukocytes. Moreover, we assessed the impact of p53 and BAX mRNA levels on the sensitivity of the leukemic cells to selected cytostatics. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of p53 and BAX mRNA may indicate cellular response to possible changes in genomic DNA integrity associated with malignant transformation. We suggest that the BAX gene is regulated by the p53 protein but the initiation of apoptosis through the transcription activation of BAX is blocked by the high levels of Bcl-2. Given that the apoptosis resistance mechanisms are different among oncological patients as well as stages of identical malignancy cases, personalized and specific combination therapy is proposed to be more effective in clinical application.

NSCLC molecular testing in Central and Eastern European countries.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of targeted treatments for subsets of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has highlighted the importance of accurate molecular diagnosis to determine if an actionable genetic alteration is present. Few data are available for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) on mutation rates, testing rates, and compliance with testing guidelines. METHODS: A questionnaire about molecular testing and NSCLC management was distributed to relevant specialists in nine CEE countries, and pathologists were asked to provide the results of EGFR and ALK testing over a 1-year period. RESULTS: A very high proportion of lung cancer cases are confirmed histologically/cytologically (75-100%), and molecular testing of NSCLC samples has been established in all evaluated CEE countries in 2014. Most countries follow national or international guidelines on which patients to test for EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangements. In most centers at that time, testing was undertaken on request of the clinician rather than on the preferred reflex basis. Immunohistochemistry, followed by fluorescent in situ hybridization confirmation of positive cases, has been widely adopted for ALK testing in the region. Limited reimbursement is a significant barrier to molecular testing in the region and a disincentive to reflex testing. Multidisciplinary tumor boards are established in most of the countries and centers, with 75-100% of cases being discussed at a multidisciplinary tumor board at specialized centers. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular testing is established throughout the CEE region, but improved and unbiased reimbursement remains a major challenge for the future. Increasing the number of patients reviewed by multidisciplinary boards outside of major centers and access to targeted therapy based on the result of molecular testing are other major challenges.

Different amplification patterns of 3q26 and 5p15 regions in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate and correlate the amplification of chromosomal regions 3q26 and 5p15 in different cytological and histological subgroups of patients and to compare the sensitivity and specificity of amplification tests with cytology, colposcopy and HPV status. METHODS: The work was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in cooperation with the Institute of Pathological Anatomy, JFM CU in Martin and UNM during years 2013-2016. Prospective longitudinal study included 131 patients. We focused on the FISH diagnosis of the amplification of regions encoding the components of telomerase enzyme (3q26, 5p15) in cytology specimens. We manually evaluated 100 atypical cells per slide and analysed the amplification patterns. Correlations between cytological, histological, HPV DNA results and amplification patterns of chromosomal regions 3q26 and 5p15 were analysed by chi-squared test and non-parametric Man - Whitney U test. RESULTS: The results showed that the amplification of chromosomal regions increases with the degree of dysplasia toward the invasive disease (p < 0.001). Whereas the increase in the amplification of 3q26 is noticeable already at CIN 2 + lesions (p < 0.01), 5p15 amplification is shifted up toward CIN 3/CIS (p < 0.001) and cervical cancer. Amplification of selected regions correlated with each other and also with hrHPV-positive status (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The analysis of the amplification of 3q26 and 5p15 regions may serve in the future for the differential diagnosis of cervical lesions and to determine their malignant potential. High specificity of these tests can improve the excellent sensitivity of HPV DNA test.

Next Generation Sequencing in Molecular Diagnosis of Lynch Syndrome - a Pilot Study Using New Stratification Criteria.

The development of the new technologies such as the next-generation sequencing (NGS) makes more accessible the diagnosis of genetically heterogeneous diseases such as Lynch syndrome (LS). LS is one of the most common hereditary form of colorectal cancer. This autosomal dominant inherited disorder is caused by deleterious germline mutations in one of the mismatch repair (MMR) genes - MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 or PMS2, or the deletion in the EPCAM gene. These mutations eventually result in microsatellite instability (MSI), which can be easily tested in tumor tissue. According to the actual recommendations, all patients with CRC that are suspect to have LS, should be offered the MSI testing. When the MSI is positive, these patients should be recommended to genetic counseling. Here we report a pilot study about the application of NGS in the LS diagnosis in patients considered to have sporadic colorectal cancer. The inclusion criteria for the NGS testing were MSI positivity, BRAF V600E and MHL1 methylation negativity. We have used 5 gene amplicon based massive parallel sequencing on MiSeq platform. In one patient, we have identified a new pathogenic mutation in the exon 4 of the MSH6 gene that was previously not described in ClinVar, Human Gene Mutation Database, Ensembl and InSight databases. This mutation was confirmed by the Sanger method. We have shown that the implementation of new criteria for colorectal patients screening are important in clinical praxis and the NGS gene panel testing is suitable for routine laboratory settings.

Clinicopathological analysis of programmed death-ligand 1 testing in tumor cells of 325 patients with non-small cell lung cancer: Its predictive and potential prognostic value.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies on check-point inhibitor therapy, which seems to improve the prognosis of patients with advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma increase the importance of immunohistochemical analyses of the programmed-death receptor and of its ligand, PD-L1 protein. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In our study we present results of PD-L1 immunohistochemical tumor cell expression in a series of 325 lung carcinoma patients biopsies, using the clone 22C3 (and DAKO Link 48 immunostainer). Evaluation of the expression using tissue proportion scoring system allowed to distinguish negative cases (either 0 % or < 1 % of positive tumor cells) versus positive cases in the categories 1-9 %, 10-49 % and ≥ 50 % of positive tumor cells. RESULTS: In association to histopathologic parameters we observed similar rates of positive expression in patients with adenocarcinoma types (47,8 % of all the cases) as well as with squamous cell carcinomas (44,4 %). Within these histological categories, the rates of positivity were similar also in patients with small versus large (resectional) biopsies. In the biopsies of patients with adenocarcinoma we identified differences in the PD-L1 protein expression associated with its histological subtype. In the cases with predominant lepidic pattern the PD-L1 positivity was present in 18,8 %, with predominant acinar or papillary pattern in 40,8 % and in cases with predominant solid or micropapillary component in 74,1 % of the cases resp. Keratinizing squamous cell carcinomas were positive in 38,5 % and non-keratinizing in 53,8 % of all the cases. The hiqhest incidence of an extensive posivity was observed in sarcomatoid carcinoma type. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Immunohistochemically verified PD-L1 protein expression represents a broadly accepted predictive biomarker for immunotherapy of NSCLC patients. The indicated differences of the expression among various NSCLC types and subtypes require to be verified in larger cohorts of patients in relation with clinical parameters to demonstrate whether it could be plausible to use the PD-L1 expression in a role of a negative prognostic parameter.

Weber-Christian disease: a case report.

Weber-Christian disease is a rare disease from the group of chronic fibrosing conditions characterized by inflamma-tion of the adipose tissue - panniculitis and fibrosing with frequent systemic manifestations. Etiopathogenesis of the disease is not fully known, participation of autoimmune mechanisms is anticipated. Here, we report a case of a patient with this rare disease, diagnosed after a long and demanding diagnostic process, including repeated lapa-rotomies. However, after immunosuppressive therapy, clinical and laboratory symptomatology improved rapidly as well as the patients quality of life. Key words: panniculitis - sclerosing mesenteritis - Weber-Christian disease.

[Changes of the WHO classification of myeloid neoplasms in the context of the 2016 revision]. / Zmeny WHO klasifikácie myeloidných neoplázií v kontexte revízie z roku 2016.

Continual progress of knowleges in hematopathology and genetics of hematologic tumors requires actualisation of widely accepted and presently used WHO classification of myeloid neoplasms published 8 years ago. However, the basic principles of this classification remain unchanged, therefore the authors of new WHO classification mention the "revision" of previous and not the introduction o new classification. The aim of this paper is to outline the most important changes of myeloid neoplasm diagnostics to pathologists, hematologists and other clinicians in Czech Republic and Slovakia. This review is based on several papers recently published by opinionleaders in this field.

[Changes of the WHO classification of lymphoid neoplasms in the context of the 2016 revision]. / Zmeny WHO klasifikácie lymfoidných neoplázií v kontexte revízie z roku 2016.

As a result of increasing knowledge, the validity of any tumour classification could not be unlimited. The aim of this article is to review the most important changes in the WHO classification of lymphoid neoplasms of a non-Hodgkin type that have been announced and published in relation to its revision in 2016. These changes are based on better understanding of pathogenesis and genetics of diseases, refine diagnostic criteria, reflect existence of rare forms and introduce new provisional categories of lymphoid neoplasms. WHO classification becomes more complex and the number of disease entities is increasing. However, until the the monography will be published, all changes are preliminary and incomplete, requiring work with available lymphoma literature.

Methylation in promoter regions of PITX2 and RASSF1A genes in association with clinicopathological features in breast cancer patients.

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with very different responses to therapy and different length of survival. In many cases, however, the determination of the stage and histopathological characteristics of breast cancer is insufficient to predict prognosis and response to treatment for the vast heterogeneity of the disease. To understand the molecular signature of subtypes of breast cancer, we attempted to identify the methylation status of key tumour suppressor gene Ras association (RalGDS/AF-6) domain family member 1 isoform a (RASSF1A) and a member of the paired-like homeodomain transcription factor family which functions in left-right asymmetry development (PITX2) and to correlate results with known clinicopathological features of breast cancer. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues of breast carcinomas (n = 149) were used for DNA extraction. DNA was modified by bisulphite conversion. Detection of the methylation level of the genes mentioned above was performed by methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting assay (MS-HRM). Based on MS-HRM results for RASSF1A and PITX2, we subdivided the samples into four groups according to methylation level (≤50 % methylated, >50 % methylated, 100 % methylated and completely unmethylated alleles). All degrees of methylation status for both genes underwent analysis of dependence with known clinicopathological features, and we found significant associations. In 134 of 149 (89.9 %) primary breast carcinomas, the RASSF1A promoter was methylated. Total hypermethylation of PITX2 was observed in 60 of 135 (44.4 %) breast cancer cases. RASSF1A hypermethylation had significant association with increased age (p < 0.05), tumour grade (p < 0.0001) and stage (p < 0.0001) in the 100 % methylated group. There was significant association of PITX2 hypermethylation with tumour grade (p < 0.0001) and stage (p < 0.0001). Association between the methylation level of both investigated genes and tumour type was significant for ductal invasive carcinoma cases only (p < 0.0001). This study shows different levels of heterogeneous methylation acquired by MS-HRM assay of the promoter region of RASSF1A and PITX2 and its relationship with clinicopathological features of 149 breast cancer patients. We noticed that immunohistopathological subtypes of breast cancer contain distinct promoter methylation patterns. All these data suggest that hypermethylation of the CpG island promoters of RASSF1A and PITX2 might play an essential role in the very early stages of breast cancer pathogenesis.

[Follicular and mantle cell lymphoma diagnosed in biopsies of gastroenterocolic region]. / Folikulový lymfóm a lymfóm z plástových buniek v biopsiách orgánov zalúdocno-crevnej oblasti.

The authors present a retrospective analysis of follicular lymphomas (FL) and mantle cell lymphomas (MCL) diagnosed according to the WHO classification (2008) in consecutive biopsies of GI organs in a period of 11 years. The series includes 18 patients with FL verified in 22 biopsies and 44 patients with MCL diagnosed in 54 biopsies. FL represented always a solitary tumor, most often - up to ¾ of all the cases - of a small intestine, more often in its jejunoileal than duodenal parts. The biopsies were obtained almost equally by endoscopical approach, they were usually mucosal and rarely polypectomic, as well as by surgical resections (54,5 % and 45,5 % of the cases respectively). FL of grade 3 was identified in approximately 11 % of the cases, while majority of the patients showed FL of grade 1 or 2. Only 2 patients with duodenal FL relapsed and bioptically verified recidives did not show signs of a high grade transformation. Although it was difficult to identify a nodular growth pattern in more common small biopsies, a typical histomorphology and phenotype mostly allowed the FL diagnosis in the majority of the cases. The FL diagnosis had to be supported by detection of BCL2 translocation only in one case. MCL appeared most often in the stomach and large intestine, the small intestinal cases represented less than 23 %. In » of the patients the lymphoma was multifocal and manifested as lymphomatoid polyposis affecting most often both large and small intestine. In a majority of the MCL patients, the diagnosis was done in mucosal and polypectomic endoscopic biopsies, surgical intervention and resection was recorded in less than 10 % of the cases. Most of the patients showed conventional "centrocytic" MCL morphology and approximately » of the cases showed blastoid MCL. The rebiopsies of 9 patients revealed a relaps of the disease which was locoidentical in 5 of them; in other 4 patients the biopsies documented a dissemination to other GI organs. The blastic transformation was recognized only in one of the relapsing patients. In contrast to FL, in 18 % of the biopsies the MCL diagnosis required a CCND1 gene rearrangement detection by FISH. In summary both of the studied GI lymphomas showed different and heterogenous incidence, clinical manifestation and necessity to support the biopsy diagnosis also by FISH examination. The correct FL and MCL diagnosis represents a conditio sine qua non for an indication of different therapeutical modalities as well as for the prognostic stratification of the patients.

[Clinically relevant possibilities and limits of differential diagnosis of megaloblastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome - refractory anemia type in bone marrow biopsies]. / Klinicky relevantné moznosti a limity diferenciálnej diagnostiky megaloblastovej anémie a myelodysplastického syndrómu typu refraktérnej anémie v trepanobioptických vzorkách kostnej drene.

INTRODUCTION: Megaloblastic anemia (MA) represents a subtype of macrocytic anemia caused by impaired DNA synthesis, mostly due to folate and vitamin B12 deficiency. Its mildest forms lead to macrocytosis without concomitant anemia, but more severe forms to thrombocytopenia and/or leucopenia as well. In majority of the cases, the diagnosis of MA dose not represent a serious clinical problem, however, other causes of macrocytosis including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) must be excluded. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the period 2004-2015 we identified in our registry 126 consecutive bone marrow (BM) biopsies of patients with cytopenia/s in peripheral blood and suspicion either on MA or MDS of refractory anemia (RA) type. We performed a retrospective analysis of BM biopsies focused on evaluation of parameters useful for the differential diagnosis, as represented by (a) cellularity and proportions of BM precursors, (b) and their topography, (c) presence of maturation defects and dysplastic changes, (d) grade and extent of myelofibrosis, (e) iron deposits and (f) presence of "inflammatory" response in BM. Histological analyses were supported by immunohistochemical examinations. RESULTS: The series consisted of biopsies of 126 patients (61 men and 65 women) with average age 63 (14-88 years) - almost all patients (121/126) presented with anemia. Based on the findings we distinguished three diagnostic groups - MA (31 patients), MDS-RA (39) and bioptically unclasifiable case ("DIF DG" - 56 patients). Abnormalities of the BM cellularity were observed in 81 % and of topography in 73 % of all cases respectively. Megalobastic differentiation of erythropoesis was detected in 79 % and diagnostic dysplastic changes in 25 % of all biopsy cases. In 29 % of all biopsies ring sideroblasts were present, megakaryocytic nuclear lobulisation defects density changes were found in 61 % of all patients. In 14 % of all biopsies the BM myelofibrosis was absent, in contrast 5 % of the biopsies showed severe diffuse fibrosis. "Inflammatory" response was developed in 44 % of all biopsies. Iron deposits were absent in 26 %, decreased in 35 % and increased in 33 % of all the cases. CONCLUSIONS: From the point of view of histopathologist it seems to be difficult to distinguish BM hematopoietic changes in patients with MA and MDS-RA respectivelly, as histological examinations allowed determination of a definitive and correct diagnosis in about 55% of the cases. The crucial problem represents a decision whether the observed changes really result from the development of a clonal disease.Key words: megaloblastic anemia - megaloblastic differentiation - refractory anemia.