Recurrent TET2 mutations in peripheral T-cell lymphomas correlate with TFH-like features and adverse clinical parameters.

Inactivating mutations of the Ten-Eleven Translocation 2 (TET2) gene were first identified in myeloid malignancies and more recently in peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs). In the present study, we investigated the presence of TET2 coding sequence mutations and their clinical relevance in a large cohort of 190 PTCL patients. TET2 mutations were identified in 40 of 86 (47%) cases of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) and in 22 of 58 (38%) cases of peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS), but were absent in all other PTCL entities, with the exception of 2 of 10 cases of enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma. Among PTCL-NOS, a heterogeneous group of lymphoma-comprising cases likely to derive from Th follicular (T(FH)) cells similarly to AITL, TET2 mutations were more frequent when PTCL-NOS expressed T(FH) markers and/or had features reminiscent of AITL (58% vs 24%, P = .01). In the AITL and PTCL-NOS subgroups, TET2 mutations were associated with advanced-stage disease, thrombocytopenia, high International Prognostic Index scores, and a shorter progression-free survival.

gammadelta T lymphocytes count is normal and expandable in peripheral blood of patients with follicular lymphoma, whereas it is decreased in tumor lymph nodes compared with inflammatory lymph nodes.

gammadelta T lymphocytes are attractive effector cells for immunotherapy. In vitro, they can be expanded and kill efficiently a variety of tumor cells. The frequency and distribution of gammadelta T lymphocytes were compared in tumor lymph nodes of 51 patients with follicular lymphoma lymph nodes (FL-LNs) and 28 patients with inflammatory lymph nodes (I-LNs). gammadelta and CD8 T lymphocytes were less abundant in FL-LNs than in I-LNs (p

[Q fever: bone marrow characteristic granuloma]. / Fièvre Q : localisation médullaire d'un granulome caractéristique.

Q fever is a worldwise zoonosis, caused by an obligate intracellular bacterium, Coxiella burnetii. In humans, acute disease, when symptomatic, can manifest by a flu-like illness, pneumonia or hepatitis. Patients with predisposing conditions can evolve with chronic disease, which major clinical presentation is endocarditis with negative routine blood cultures. Histological studies of Q fever based on infected organs biopsies (liver and bone marrow) have demonstrated a distinctive type of granuloma, typically appearing as a "doughnut" granuloma, characterized by a central clean space surrounded by inflammatory cells and rimmed with an eosinophilic fibrinoid material. We describe a 37-year-old man, admitted to hospital for persistent fever. Bone marrow biopsy showed the characteristic "doughnut" granuloma, suggesting a Q fever. Diagnosis was then confirmed by serological tests for C. burnetii.

Natural history, dynamics, and ecology of human papillomaviruses in genital infections of young women: protocol of the PAPCLEAR cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are responsible for one-third of all cancers caused by infections. Most HPV studies focus on chronic infections and cancers, and we know little about the early stages of the infection. Our main objective is to better understand the course and natural history of cervical HPV infections in healthy, unvaccinated and vaccinated, young women, by characterising the dynamics of various infection-related populations (virus, epithelial cells, vaginal microbiota and immune effectors). Another objective is to analyse HPV diversity within hosts, and in the study population, in relation to co-factors (lifestyle characteristics, vaccination status, vaginal microbiota, human genetics). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The PAPCLEAR study is a single center longitudinal study following 150 women, aged 18-25 years, for up to 2 years. Visits occur every 2 or 4 months (depending on HPV status) during which several variables are measured, such as behaviours (via questionnaires), vaginal pH, HPV presence and viral load (via qPCR), local concentrations of cytokines (via MesoScale Discovery technology) and immune cells (via flow cytometry). Additional analyses are outsourced, such as titration of circulating anti-HPV antibodies, vaginal microbiota sequencing (16S and ITS1 loci) and human genotyping. To increase the statistical power of the epidemiological arm of the study, an additional 150 women are screened cross-sectionally. Finally, to maximise the resolution of the time series, participants are asked to perform weekly self-samples at home. Statistical analyses will involve classical tools in epidemiology, genomics and virus kinetics, and will be performed or coordinated by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Montpellier. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the Comité de Protection des Personnes Sud Méditerranée I (reference number 2016-A00712-49); by the Comité Consultatif sur le Traitement de l'Information en matière de Recherche dans le domaine de la Santé (reference number 16.504); by the Commission Nationale Informatique et Libertés (reference number MMS/ABD/AR1612278, decision number DR-2016-488) and by the Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé (reference 20160072000007). Results will be published in preprint servers, peer-reviewed journals and disseminated through conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02946346; Pre-results.

Impact of Expert Pathologic Review of Lymphoma Diagnosis: Study of Patients From the French Lymphopath Network.

Purpose To prospectively assess the clinical impact of expert review of lymphoma diagnosis in France. Materials and Methods From January 2010 to December 2013, 42,145 samples from patients with newly diagnosed or suspected lymphomas were reviewed, according to the 2008 WHO classification, in real time by experts through the Lymphopath Network. Changes in diagnosis between referral and expert review were classified as major or minor according to their potential impact on patient care. Results The 42,145 reviewed samples comprised 36,920 newly diagnosed mature lymphomas, 321 precursor lymphoid neoplasms, 314 myeloid disorders, and 200 nonhematopoietic neoplasms, with 4,390 benign lesions. There were 4,352 cutaneous and 32,568 noncutaneous lymphomas. The most common mature noncutaneous lymphomas were diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (32.4%), follicular lymphomas (15.3%), classic Hodgkin lymphomas (13%), peripheral T-cell lymphomas (6.3%) of which angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphomas (2.3%) were the most frequent, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas (5.8%). A diagnostic change between referral and expert review occurred in 19.7% of patients, with an estimated impact on patient care for 17.4% of patients. This rate was significantly higher for patients sent with a provisional diagnosis seeking expert second opinion (37.8%) than for patients sent with a formal diagnosis (3.7%). The most frequent discrepancies were misclassifications in lymphoma subtype (41.3%), with 12.3% being misclassifications among small B-cell lymphoma entities. Fewer than 2% of changes were between benign and malignant lymphoid conditions. Minor changes (2.3%) mostly consisted of follicular lymphoma misgrading and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtype misclassification. Conclusion To our knowledge, this study provides the largest ever description of the distribution of lymphoma entities in a western country and highlights how expert review significantly contributes to a precise lymphoma diagnosis and optimal clinical management in a proportion of patients.

Characterization and enumeration of cells secreting tumor markers in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients.

In the process of metastasis, malignant cells are released from the primary tumor and migrate to specific organs via the lymphatic and blood circulation systems. These circulating tumor cells have been characterized by immunochemistry, the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and flow cytometry. Using the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line, we have developed a two-color ELISPOT assay to detect cells secreting cathepsin D protease and MUC1 glycoprotein, markers associated with the risk of metastases in breast cancer. The threshold of detection of this ELISPOT assay was one cathepsin D- or MUC1-secreting MCF7 cell per 5 ml of control blood. In 16 patients with breast carcinoma metastases, 1 to 1940 cathepsin D- or MUC1-secreting cells per 2x10(7) PBMC were enumerated, whereas none were found in 11 controls. Moreover, in six patients 6-60% of MUC1-secreting cells also expressed the CXCR4 chemokine receptor, which is involved in the homing of metastatic breast cancer cells. The ELISPOT assay described here allowed us to enumerate cathepsin D- and/or MUC1-secreting cells in the MCF-7 cell line and in the peripheral blood of patients with disseminated breast cancer. The combination of the ELISPOT assay and CXCR4-positive cell sorting identified subsets of MUC1-secreting cells in the peripheral blood of these patients.

Human herpesvirus-8-associated lymphoma of the bowel in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients without history of primary effusion lymphoma.

This report describes two cases of human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8)-associated large cell lymphoma of the bowel in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive men. Immunohistochemistry provides evidence of HHV-8 infection of the lymphoma cells (LNA1+, vIL-6+). In both cases, lymphoma cells were coinfected by the Epstein-Barr virus. One case was of B-cell lineage, but the second one was of null phenotype with isolated expression of the CD3 molecule. However, in the latter case, assessment of B- or T-cell clonality remained elusive. The chief finding for these two cases was the lack of history of primary effusion lymphoma. There was an apparent restriction of the tumor to the large bowel in the first case. For the second case, the bowel tumor was preceded by lymph node and liver involvement. The cases suggest that the incidence of HHV-8 infection in large cell lymphoma arising in the setting of HIV infection (other than primary effusion lymphoma) may be underestimated and that the detection of the viral gene products would be appropriate for greater understanding of the pathogenesis of these tumors. HUM PATHOL 33:846-849.

Intrasinusoidal bone marrow infiltration: a common growth pattern for different lymphoma subtypes.

We report a retrospective immunohistochemical study on bone marrow biopsies of 43 patients with different types of lymphomas showing unusual intrasinusoidal infiltration. Most of these patients presented with splenomegaly (74.4%) and peripheral lymphocytosis (83%). In 20/43 patients, lymphoid infiltrates were not detectable on haematoxylin-eosin sections. After immunohistochemistry on bone marrow biopsies and blood and bone marrow smear examinations, the following diagnoses were made: splenic marginal zone lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL) in 24 patients, large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukaemia in 14 patients, hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma in two patients, anaplastic large cell lymphoma in two patients and intravascular large B-cell lymphoma in one patient. In the presence of intrasinusoidal infiltrates of small lymphocytes, a B-cell phenotype (CD20+, CD76/DBA44+/-) was associated with splenic marginal zone lymphoma whereas intrasinusoidal CD3/CD45RA-positive T-cell infiltrates were strongly suggestive of LGL leukaemia. Intrasinusoidal bone marrow infiltration appears to be a common feature of distinct lymphoma subtypes. Immunohistochemical analysis is essential to detect intrasinusoidal medullary infiltrates (which may be minimal) and should be systematically performed in patients with splenomegaly and peripheral lymphocytosis.